It turns out that you don't have to walk 10,000 steps a day to improve your health. This is the conclusion of a group of scientists led by Professor Melody Ding from the University of Sydney. Their large study, published in the scientific journal The Lancet Public Health, showed that walking 7,000 steps a day is enough to get almost the same health benefits as walking 10,000 steps.
Scientists examined the results of 57 studies conducted from 2014 to 2025 in ten countries, including Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom and Japan. Study participants wore step-counting devices (pedometers, fitness bracelets and special motion sensors), and scientists compared their health status with different numbers of steps.
The results showed that walking 7,000 steps a day reduced the risk of early death by almost 47% and the likelihood of developing dementia (deterioration of memory and thinking in older age) by 38%. If you increase the number of steps to 10,000, the improvement will be insignificant. The risk of heart problems, diabetes and depression is also significantly reduced.
The researchers say the findings provide a more achievable goal for people who find it difficult to walk 10,000 steps. Even increasing your activity from 2,000 to 4,000 steps a day will make a significant difference to your health. The key is not to reach some “perfect” number, but to gradually increase your physical activity.
Джерело: ukr.media
