{"id":59304,"date":"2025-07-24T03:27:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-24T03:27:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/just-7000-steps-a-day-cuts-risk-of-health-issues\/"},"modified":"2025-07-24T03:27:00","modified_gmt":"2025-07-24T03:27:00","slug":"just-7000-steps-a-day-cuts-risk-of-health-issues","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/?p=59304","title":{"rendered":"Just 7,000 steps a day cuts risk of health issues"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The researchers hope their findings could shape future public health guidelines<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
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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.<\/p>\n
It may be a more realistic target than 10,000 steps, which is often seen as the benchmark to reach.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
The findings could encourage more people to track their steps as a practical way to improve their health, the researchers say.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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“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”.<\/p>\n
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”.<\/p>\n
Dr Ding says this figure was “taken out of context” and became an unofficial guideline, which many fitness trackers and apps continue to recommend.<\/p>\n
The Lancet study analysed previous research and data on the health and activity of more than 160,000 adults around the world. <\/p>\n
Compared with those who walked 2,000 steps a day, it found that 7,000 steps was linked to reduced risk of: <\/p>\n
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cardiovascular disease – down 25%<\/li>\n
cancer – down 6%<\/li>\n
dementia – down 38% <\/li>\n
and depression – down 22%<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
However, the researchers say some figures could be less accurate than others as they are drawn from only a small number of studies. <\/p>\n
Overall, their review suggests even modest step counts of around 4,000 steps a day are linked to better health compared to very low activity of just 2,000 steps a day.<\/p>\n
For most health conditions, the benefits tended to level off beyond 7,000 steps although there were additional advantages to walking further for the heart.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
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Counting daily steps has become a popular pastime with fitness trackers<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
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Most exercise guidelines focus on time spent doing physical activity over step counts.<\/p>\n
For example, the World Health Organization says adults should do at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity every week. <\/p>\n
Dr Ding says this advice can sometimes be difficult for people to understand but the current guidelines still serve an important purpose.<\/p>\n
“There are people who swim, cycle, or have physical disabilities that don’t allow them to take steps,” she explains.<\/p>\n
But she says a recommendation on the number of steps people should take could be included as an “addition” that would “prompt people to think about spreading their physical activities throughout the day”. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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Dr Daniel Bailey, a sedentary behaviour and health expert from Brunel University London, says the study challenges the “myth” that 10,000 steps a day is necessary.<\/p>\n
While 10,000 steps is a suitable goal for those who are more active, he says aiming for 5,000 to 7,000 could be a “more realistic and achievable target” for others.<\/p>\n
Dr Andrew Scott, senior lecturer in clinical exercise physiology at the University of Portsmouth, agrees the exact number isn’t important.<\/p>\n
He says “more is always better” and people shouldn’t worry too much about hitting a specific target, especially on days when activity is limited.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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