The common belief that achieving 10,000 steps daily benefits everyone doesn’t consider the diverse nature of human health and lifestyles. However, recent findings by a global research team suggest that even the least active individuals can mitigate the negative health impacts of prolonged sitting by integrating more daily steps into their routines.
Sedentariness has become a prevalent lifestyle, associated with an increased likelihood of cardiovascular disease (CVD), cancer, diabetes, and a reduced lifespan. Conversely, higher daily step counts and brisk walking are linked to lower risks of these conditions.
Previously, it was uncertain if highly inactive individuals could simply counteract the severe health risks associated with their lifestyle by increasing their step count. The new research indicates that individuals, regardless of their level of physical inactivity, can decrease their risks of CVD and premature death by walking more each day. This finding is particularly relevant for people with sedentary jobs, highlighting the significance of movement even within sedentary lifestyles, though the importance of reducing time spent inactive remains.
Matthew Ahmadi, a population health scientist from the University of Sydney in Australia, cautions that this does not entirely absolve the health consequences of prolonged sedentariness but underscores the vital public health message that every step counts towards mitigating the health effects of unavoidable inactive periods.
This study analyzed data from 72,174 participants from the UK Biobank, which has been collecting comprehensive health data since 2006. Over an average of 6.9 years, participants’ physical activity, including daily steps and sedentary time, was tracked using wrist accelerometers. The analysis excluded anyone whose initial two years of data might have been skewed by poor health, focusing on those who were generally healthy and did not consider participants with disabilities that could affect step count.
Findings suggest that 9,000 to 10,000 daily steps are ideal for significantly reducing the risks associated with a highly sedentary lifestyle, decreasing CVD risk by 21 percent and mortality risk by 39 percent. The research also found that benefits began to accrue at approximately 4,000 to 4,500 steps a day, with any activity above 2,200 steps daily associated with lower mortality and CVD risk, regardless of sedentary time. This highlights the positive impact of incremental increases in the daily step count for less active and highly sedentary individuals.
