Walking 4,000 steps a day can help reduce the risk of death and increase longevity, according to a recently published large-scale study.
The study, published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, is the largest ever to measure the positive effects of daily walking. Experts compiled data from about 23,000 people around the world , from 17 smaller walking studies. They showed that all volunteers, regardless of gender or age, received health benefits from walking.
Maciej Banach, a professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, US, and one of the study's lead authors, said that 4,000 steps a day is a reasonable habit for overall health. The health benefits increase when people take 6,000 to 7,000 steps.
To conduct the study, experts divided volunteers into groups, walking 4,000 steps, 5,500 steps, 7,300 steps and 11,500 steps per day. They found that the more they walked, the lower the death rate from cardiovascular disease.
Experts recommend walking 4,000 steps a day. Photo: Freepik
Dr. Banach said the 10,000 steps recommended by many experts may be too much for people who are not used to being physically active every day. Many of his patients have failed to meet this goal because they feel tired after a short time and cannot adapt quickly enough. According to him, people can start with 3,000 to 4,000 steps and then gradually increase over time.
Previous research conducted by the University of Cambridge, UK, also showed that walking briskly for 11 minutes a day, nearly 75 minutes a week, helps prevent 10% of premature deaths worldwide.
Moderate-intensity physical activity is defined as activities that increase heart rate and breathing, but do not cause people to become out of breath or overly exhausted.
“For people who find the 150 minutes a week physical activity target a bit daunting, our new findings are good news. You only need to exercise for 75 minutes a week, gradually increasing over time, to reduce mortality,” said Dr Søren Brage, a member of the Medical Research Council (MRC) of Cambridge.
Thuc Linh (According to Insider )
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