25-08 - Flipbook - Page 12
Mi n i str i es
Just 7,000 steps a day could cut health risks, study says
Walking 7,000 steps a day can be enough to boost your brainpower and help protect
against a range of different diseases, a major study suggests.
It may be a more realistic target than 10,000 steps, which is often seen as the benchmark to
reach.
The research, published in the Lancet Public Health, found that the figure was linked with a
reduced risk of serious health issues, including cancer, dementia and heart disease.
The findings could encourage more people to track their steps as a practical way to improve their health, the researchers say.
"We have this perception we should be doing 10,000 steps a day," says lead author Dr Melody Ding, "but it's not evidence based".
Ten thousand steps works out at roughly five miles or eight kilometers. The precise distance
will be different for everyone, varying according to stride length which depends on height,
gender and walking speed, with faster walkers tending to take longer strides.
The figure of 10,000 steps can be traced back to a 1960s marketing campaign in Japan. In
the run-up to the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, a brand of pedometer was launched called the
manpo-kei, which translates as "10,000-step meter".
Dr Ding says this figure was "taken out of context" and became an unofficial guideline,
which many fitness trackers and apps continue to recommend.
The Lancet study analysed previous research and data on the health and activity of more
than 160,000 adults around the world.
Compared with those who walked 2,000 steps a day, it found that 7,000 steps was linked to
reduced risk of:
•
cardiovascular disease - down 25%
•
cancer - down 6%
Josh Elgin
