You don’t need to walk 10,000 steps to benefit from its ‘health benefits’

It’s said you need to walk 10,000 steps a day, but a study has shown that this commonly spouted knowledge may be off the mark.

Ten thousand steps per day has been widely recommended as the standard benchmark for physical activity — but a new study suggests that just 7000 could be enough to boost essential health markers.

Researchers from the University of Sydney conducted a review of 57 studies spanning more than 10 countries, which tracked participants’ steps and health outcomes.

Led by Professor Melody Ding from the School of Public Health, the team looked at how different daily step counts impacted the risk of dying from heart disease and cancer, as well as the risk of developing cancer, type 2 diabetes, dementia and depression, according to a university press release.

And it turns out, you may not need as many steps as was first thought.

There’s plenty of health benefits that come with walking. Photo: iStock

Researchers found that walking at least 7000 steps a day was linked to improvement in eight major health outcomes, including heart disease, dementia and depressive symptoms.

“Any increase in daily steps, even modest ones like 4000 steps, delivers health benefits compared to very low activity levels,” Ding toldFox News.

“When possible, targeting around 7000 steps per day can substantially reduce risks for many chronic diseases and adverse health outcomes.

“Even small increases in step counts, such as increasing from 2000 to 4000 steps a day, are associated with significant health gain.”

Higher step counts beyond 7000 may add extra benefits, but the improvement rate slows, she noted.

The results were published in The Lancet Public Health journal.

In particular, the researchers found that walking 7000 steps a day reduced the risk of death by 47 per cent, almost exactly the same as 10000 steps.

That same step benchmark was also linked to a 38 per cent reduced risk of dementia and a 22 per cent reduced risk of type 2 diabetes, both only slightly lower than the benefit of 10,000 steps, the release stated.

“Significant health improvements” were reported when people increased from 2000 steps per day to anywhere between 5000 and 7000.

“Aiming for 7000 steps is a realistic goal based on our findings, which assessed health outcomes in a range of areas that hadn’t been looked at before,” said Professor Ding in the release.

“However, for those who cannot yet achieve 7000 steps a day, even small increases in step counts, such as increasing from 2000 to 4000 steps a day, are associated with significant health gain.”

Social media is filled with videos of people promoting the 10,000 step rule. Picture: TikTok

For those who are already very active and consistently hitting 10,000+ steps, Ding said, “keep it up — there’s no need to cut back”.

The researchers also noted that stepping doesn’t need to happen all at once or require intentional exercise.

“Everyday movements count — like getting off the bus a stop earlier or choosing stairs over elevators,” Ding advised.

“Small, incidental bouts throughout the day add up and contribute to health. Embrace opportunities to move more in practical, enjoyable ways.”

There were some limitations in the study, the researchers noted.

“For some outcomes, we have a small number of studies,” Ding told Fox News.

There are also some study-level biases, she said.

“For example, people who are already unwell will take fewer steps because of their health conditions,” Ding said.

“And while there is an indication that the dose-response may be different for older adults, we didn’t have enough data for all outcomes to explore it.”

It’s also important to note that while walking offers great health benefits, it is not a complete “package” in itself, she noted.

“Everyday movements count — like getting off the bus a stop earlier or choosing stairs over elevators,” Ding said.

“Try to also incorporate strength training and mobility exercise into a weekly routine for more complete health benefits.”

In next steps, the researchers plan to use these findings to shape future physical activity guidelines.

This story first appeared on Fox News and was republished with permission.

Originally published as You don’t need to walk 10,000 steps to benefit from its ‘health benefits’