What did a large survey of over 2,000 people show?
Many of us use a smartwatch with a pedometer, but do we know precisely how many steps we should take to benefit our figure and health? We may have read that the golden number is 10,000 a day, but this is more challenging, especially if we have a busy daily schedule.
However, a study published in the journal "JAMA Network in Nutrition, Obesity, and Exercise" suggests a more realistic goal: It concluded that taking 7,000 steps a day reduces the risk of premature death and paves the way for a longer and healthier life.
The scientists from the University of Massachusetts conducted a long-term study on 2,110 people, men and women with an average age of about 45 years, from 2005 to 2018. By the end of it, 3% of the participants had died.
Experts observed that those who took about 7,000 steps a day had a 50-70% lower risk of premature death than those who did not walk much.
The pace of the steps did not seem to be particularly linked to the health status of the participants – only the number of them.
However, people who walked more than 10,000 steps per day were not seen to enjoy additional benefits in terms of longevity. So, the more we walk daily, the better, but there is no reason to "overdo it," at least if we are in middle age.
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