According to a new study, walking at least 4,000 steps every day minimizes the risk of dying prematurely.
According to the study, taking 2,337 steps each day lowers one’s chance of mortality from cardiovascular disease.
Published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology on Wednesday, the research analysed data on nearly 227,000 people from 17 studies performed in Australia, Japan, Norway, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States.
The study’s researchers stated that they wanted to see if doing up to 20,000 steps per day had any health benefits.
The researchers discovered that as participants increased their number of steps, their health advantages increased.
Adults aged 60 and up who walked between 6,000 and 10,000 steps per day had a 42% lower chance of dying prematurely.
The researchers discovered that persons under the age of 60 who walked between 7,000 and 13,000 steps per day had a 49% lower risk.
Taking 4,000 steps per day was linked to a “significant” reduction in the risk of dying young.
However, walking more than 7,000 steps per day had the greatest influence on risk, with 20,000 steps providing the most benefit.
“The more steps you walk, the better the effects on your health,” said Maciej Banach, deputy editor-in-chief of the European Society of Cardiology, who is the first author of the study.
“Every increase of steps by 500-1000 steps/day may be associated with significant mortality reductions.”
The study ruled that anything below 5,000 steps a day is considered a sedentary lifestyle.
“Every increase of steps by 1000 steps/day is associated with a 15% reduction in the risk of dying from any cause,” Banach, who is also an adjunct professor of cardiology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, added.
“Every increase by 500 steps/day is associated with a 7% reduction in dying from cardiovascular disease.”