Daily steps, even if well under 10,000, can reduce risk of early death, says expert
The popular goal of getting 10,000 steps per day—either through walking, running, or simply moving about—is a good one for those who can manage it. For those who can’t, fewer steps can still produce meaningful, and in some cases equivalent, health benefits, according to Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health’s I-Min Lee.
In a recent TEDxBoston talk, Lee, professor in the Department of Epidemiology, shared the results of her research into steps per day and mortality. In a 2019 study of some 17,000 older women, Lee found that those who took 3,000 steps per day had a lower risk of premature death than those who took 2,000; those who took 4,000 had a lower risk than those who took 3,000; and so on. Eventually, however, the impact of daily steps on mortality leveled off. Participants who took 7,500 steps per day had the same risk of premature death as those who took 10,000.
“Our simple message could perhaps be refined to, ‘Some stepping is good. More is better—up to a certain point,’” Lee said.
She added that subsequent studies that included men and various age groups have confirmed these findings. According to this body of research, sex has no influence on the benefits of daily steps; age has some. For people 60 and over, the benefits level off between 6,000 and 8,000 steps per day; for people under 60, the benefits level off between 8,000 and 10,000.
Lee has also researched the impact of the rate of stepping and has found that those who took their steps slowly were at no higher risk of early death than those who stepped quickly; only the total number of steps mattered. She noted, however, that other research has found that faster stepping confers more health benefits, so the question of pace remains open. So do questions about how steps per day impact the risk of developing specific diseases.
“The field of stepping research is relatively new,” Lee said, adding that investigators are actively working to understand the relationship between daily steps and conditions like cancer and dementia.
In the meantime, Lee said, “It is so encouraging to know that [if you add] any number of steps to your daily routine … even if you don’t hit that 10,000 number … you will get additional health benefits.”
Watch the TEDxBoston talk: 10,000 steps: Fact, fiction, or fad?
Learn more
Make sitting less and moving more a daily habit for good health (Harvard Chan School news)
