Walking intensity as important as 10,000 steps a day

There is a slight addition to the recommended 10,000 steps daily to protect from heart disease, dementia, and death: pace your steps just a little bit faster. According to researchers from the University of Sydney, Australia and University of Southern Denmark, a faster stepping pace – like a power walk – could multiply protective health benefits.

“Step count is easily understood and widely used by the public to track activity levels thanks to the growing popularity of fitness trackers and apps, but rarely do people think about the pace of their steps,” said Emmanuel Stamatakis, Professor of Physical Activity, Lifestyle and Population Health at the University of Sydney.

In a new study, stepping intensity or a faster walking pace showed beneficial associations over and above total daily steps, for cardiovascular disease and cancer incidence, as well as for a lowered risk of all-cause dementia and premature death.

“Findings from [our studies] could inform the first formal step-based physical activity guidelines and help develop effective public health programs aimed at preventing chronic disease,” Stamatakis offered.

The observational study drew on step count data from 78,500 UK adults of middle age – participants wore a wrist accelerometer to measure physical activity over a period of 7 days (minimum 3 days, including a weekend day and monitoring during sleep periods).

Only those who were free of cardiovascular disease, cancer, or dementia at baseline and disease-free in the first two years of the study were included in the final assessment. Statistical adjustments were also made for confounders, such as the fact that people who do more steps generally walk faster.

The findings showed:

• Every 2,000 steps lowered risk of premature death incrementally by 8 to 11%, up to approximately 10,000 steps a day
• A higher number of steps per day was associated with 9,800 steps was the optimal dose linked to lower risk of dementia by 50%
• The same risk was reduced by 25% for a low count of 3,800 steps a day

“The size and scope of these studies using wrist-worn trackers makes it the most robust evidence to date suggesting that 10,000 steps a day is the sweet spot for health benefits and walking faster is associated with additional benefits,” said Dr. Matthew Ahmadi, Research Fellow at the University of Sydney’s Charles Perkins Centre and Faculty of Medicine and Health.

“Going forward more research with longer-term use of trackers will shed more light on the health benefits associated with certain levels and intensity of daily stepping.”

Category: Education, Features