- Greater health benefits were observed as step counts increased, but leveled off eventually.
- Tracking steps with devices is easier now, improving motivation for older women.
- There is a need for better understanding of minimum activity levels for health improvements.
Older women can benefit greatly from fewer steps than one might imagine, reaping health benefits that grow as steps increase.
That’s the finding of a new study by researchers at Mass General Brigham that found taking 4,000 steps at least one or two days a week reduced the risk of cardiovascular disease 27% and reduced the risk of death 26% compared to those who took fewer steps.
The study is published in The British Journal of Sports Medicine.
In background material on the study, researchers said tracking steps has become super simple, courtesy of smart devices. And steps comprise a daily activity that helps the body repair itself and maintain strength, flexibility and other health benefits. But there’s a lot of discussion about who needs how many steps and what’s the ideal, which may vary for different categories of people.
Investigators at Mass General Brigham used data from 13,547 older women, comparing their step counts over a one-week period against their death and heart disease rates over the next decade. They found just 4,000 steps one or two days a week was associated with less risk of death or cardiovascular disease — “and with more steps came even greater benefits, up to a point when risk reductions leveled.”
How many steps are enough?
People don’t move around as much as they used to, said senior author I-Min Lee, an epidemiologist in Mass General Brigham’s Department of Medicine and in Brigham and Women’s Hospital’s Division of Preventive Medicine. And older individuals are among the most sedentary.
“Because of today’s low step counts, it’s increasingly important to determine the minimum amount of physical activity required to improve health outcomes, so that we can offer realistic and feasible goals for the public,” Lee said.
The women were slightly under age 72 on average and didn’t have cancer or heart disease. They wore accelerometers to track their steps for a week between 2011 and 2015, and for the next decade their cardiovascular disease status and death were monitored.
Per a news release, “Participants were sorted by how many days per week they achieved step thresholds at or above 4,000, 5,000, 6,000, or 7,000. Those that got 4,000 steps one or two days per week had 26% lower mortality risk and 27% lower cardiovascular disease risk compared to those that never hit 4,000 on any day. What’s more, reaching 4,000 steps three or more days in a week decreased mortality risk further to 40%. As for women that reached the higher step thresholds, cardiovascular disease risk leveled out.”
Researchers were somewhat surprised to see that the total volume of steps mattered, not how many days a particular number of steps were taken. Those who reached the number of steps throughout the week, whether consistent steps daily or sporadic steps in a few days, had similar health benefits.
They said more study is needed to see if the findings hold in other populations “beyond older, American, mostly white women.” They also want to know if there are benefits at even lower step thresholds.
If older women take at least 4,000 steps once a week, researchers believe mortality and cardiovascular risk could be reduced nationwide.
The 10,000-step myth
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with pushing yourself to take 10,000 steps a day. But it’s no longer believed to be the minimum number to achieve health benefits.
As Northern Arizona University reported, the 10,000 steps is well-accepted, but it was not the result of scientific study.
It goes back 60 years to Japan, when it was first rolled out as a marketing campaign for a pedometer called “manpo-kei,” which translates to “10,000 steps meter.”
It was named that because it’s “catchy.”
Per the university’s article, “Research suggests that moderate-intensity physical activity for at least 150 minutes a week or vigorous-intensity activity for 75 minutes a week is a helpful benchmark for cardiovascular health — regardless of the number of steps. This can provide a gentle guide of what to shoot for, however, it’s best to focus on your own individual starting point and increase gradually from there.”
Step count keeps shrinking
Earlier this summer, Deseret News reported on research suggesting that the long-held belief one needed 10,000 steps a day to achieve health benefits was likely an exaggeration.
The University of Sydney found that walking at least 7,000 steps a day reduced risk of premature death by 47%. It published the findings in the journal The Lancet Public Health. Those researchers noted that some people might not be able to walk that much, but said any increases, including going from 2,000 to 4,000 steps a day, provides “significant health gains.”
That study was a review of many other studies. Among its conclusions:
- Walking 7,000 steps a day reduced risk of death by 47% — almost identical to the benefit of walking 10,000 steps per day.
- Dementia risk dropped 38% at 7,000 steps a day, with only a modest 7% reduction at 10,000 steps.
- But the risk of type 2 diabetes fell by 22% from walking 10,000 steps a day and 27% at 12,000 steps.