Aug 09, 2023 17:00:00

Even if you take 2000 to 4000 steps a day, it turns out that ``the more you walk, the more you can reduce the risk of death''

According to the website of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, 'Based on the results of epidemiological studies on the relationship between the amount of physical activity and the mortality rate, it is

considered ideal to secure '10,000 steps a day.'' However, there are many people who have lost their determination to start exercising because they can't walk that much, or have ended up with a three-day shave. A new study summarizing the results of multiple studies examining the relationship between step count and mortality risk finds that walking less than the ideal number of steps can provide health benefits based on how long you walk.

The association between daily step count and all-cause and cardiovascular mortality: a meta-analysis
https://doi.org/10.1093/eurjpc/zwad229

World's largest study shows the more you walk | EurekAlert!
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/997859

As few as 4,000 steps a day can reduce your risk of death, but more is better | CNN
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/08/08/health/steps-live-longer-wellness/index.html

In a study published in the peer-reviewed medical journal ``European Journal of Preventive Cardiology'' on July 10, 2023, the research team led by Maciej Banach, professor of cardiology at the Medical University of Lodz, Poland , a meta- analysis of the results of 17 studies from around the world that examined step count and mortality risk.

They found that walking more than 3,967 steps a day started to reduce the risk of early death, and that walking more than 2,337 steps a day reduced the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease. The effect was stronger the more steps one took, with every 1,000 steps taken per day reducing the risk of death from any cause by 15%, and every 500 steps taken per day reduced the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease by 7%. said to have decreased.

The study also found that the health benefits continued to increase even after walking more than 20,000 steps a day, and no upper limit was found for the effects to plateau. This study is positioned as the first study to evaluate the effects of walking up to 20,000 steps a day and to examine differences by age, gender, and area of residence.

“Our research confirms that the more you walk, the better,” Banach said of the analysis. Our analysis also found that walking as little as 4,000 steps a day would significantly reduce all-cause mortality, and even fewer steps would reduce mortality from cardiovascular disease. It's clear,' he said.

A total of 226,889 subjects included in the study data had an average age of 64 years, a median follow-up period of 7 years, and 49% of the subjects were women. The extent of the reduction in the risk of death due to the number of steps varies slightly depending on age. Among the elderly aged 60 and over, the reduction in the risk of death was 42% for those who walked 6,000 to 10,000 steps per day, whereas for the young, the reduction was 42%. The reduction in mortality risk for those who walked 7,000 to 13,000 steps was 49%, and the effect was slightly higher for younger people.

“This difference can probably be explained by the sooner the better equation,” Banach points out. In addition to regular physical activity such as walking, early initiation of all health initiatives, such as healthy eating and practicing a healthy lifestyle, can help reduce cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugar levels, and more. It can improve disease risk factors, Banach added.

In addition, Andrew Freeman, director of cardiovascular disease prevention at National Jewish Health, a medical institution in Denver, Colorado, said in an interview with foreign media, CNN, ``There is a small pedometer in the body, and it is 5,000 steps. I don't think there's a magic number that says, ``If you walk this far, you'll be fine.'' So for those who have just started walking and are struggling to increase their steps, I would like to say, ``Hope. I want to say, don't lose your breath,' which means I want you to do even a little exercise for 30 minutes a day until you're out of breath.'