10,000 cancelled
Meta-analysis showed how many steps per day increase life expectancy
Georgy Golovanov, Hi-tech+
The advice to take 10,000 steps a day appeared in an advertisement for a Japanese pedometer and does not have a solid scientific foundation. A meta-analysis of 15 studies covering almost 50,000 people from four continents has established how much one should actually walk in order to improve health and increase life expectancy. Spoiler: less than ten thousand steps, especially in old age.
Article by Paluch et al. Daily steps and all-cause mortality: a meta-analysis of 15 international cohorts published in The Lancet Public Health.
An international team of scientists led by epidemiologist Amanda Paluch from The University of Massachusetts at Amherst has found that walking helps reduce the risk of premature death. In particular, at the age of 60 and older, the risk of premature death is reduced if you take 6000-8000 steps a day. No more is needed — there will be no additional health benefits, according to a press release Meta-analysis of 15 studies reports new findings on how many daily walking steps needed for longevity benefit.
For adults under 60, the recommended minimum is 8000 steps per day. Maximum — 10,000. At the same time, curiously, no correlations were found between walking speed and improved health. Only the number of steps is important, regardless of the pace.
The researchers combined the results of 15 scientific papers that studied the impact of daily walking on all-cause mortality among adults over the age of 18. They grouped data on almost 50 thousand participants into four categories: the first included those who take an average of 3,500 steps a day; the second — 5,800; the third — 7800; the fourth 10,900. The risk of death was 40-53% lower among those who fell into the last three groups.
The new data reinforces a previous study conducted by Paluch and published in the fall of 2021. It said that for middle-aged people, a minimum of 7000 steps per day is enough to reduce the risk of premature death. According to the scientist, steps are a convenient indicator that is easy to measure, unlike pulse or duration of exercises.
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