Not only 10 thousand steps, the pace also counts to reduce the risk of death

It’s not just the
number of steps

you do in one day to reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer, or early death. also important rhythm with which you walk. The health benefits increased with each step taken, but peaked at ai ten thousand steps a day. Two different large studies published in Jama Internal Medicine And Jama Neurology by the same authors from the University of Sydney, Australia, and the University of Southern Denmark who monitored the movements of 78,500 adults thanks to wearable pedometers. Researchers have found that reaching 10,000 steps a day actually reduces the risk of dementia, heart disease, cancer and death. However, a faster and more energetic step has shown greater benefits, above and beyond the number of steps taken.

The take-home message that to protect their health, people should not only aim for 10,000 steps a day, but also aim for walk fastersaid the lead co-author, Matthew Ahmadi, researcher at the Sydney School of Medicine and Health. For less active people, our study also shows that a a minimum of 3,800 steps per day can reduce the risk of dementia by 25 percenthe has declared Borja del Pozo Cruz of the University of Southern Denmark and senior researcher in health at the University of Cadiz, another author of the research.

The magic number

The daily goal of 10 thousand steps became a global must in recent years, despite the fact that there is little scientific evidence on the actual benefits. In the 1960s, a Japanese company that sold pedometers pulled the number out of thin air to get people to buy their product. In recent years, scientists have been trying to test the lens to see if the popular health tip was actually consistent with the promises given. Some research they found that the optimal number of steps per day to achieve health benefits approaches 6,000, and also varies by age. Other research suggests that the important thing is to walk, and the more you walk, the greater the benefits.

The speed

Now, with the new studio, the speedThose who walked regularly at a faster pace or with greater intensity showed a lower risk of developing dementia, cancer and cardiovascular disease as well as a lower risk of all-cause mortality than those who walked more slowly.

Clear benefits for countering dementia

In the dementia study, the researchers found that to doand 10,000 steps a day reduces the risk of dementia by 50%. The risk decreased by 25% with a minimum of 3,800 steps per day. However the optimal intensity in the group of participants averaged 112 steps per minute for 30 minutes (not necessarily consecutive) per day. Easy-to-understand step counting and widely used by the public to track activity levels thanks to the growing popularity of fitness trackers and apps, but people rarely think about the pace of their steps reflects University of Sydney physiologist Emmanuel Stamatakis inviting to speed up the pace whenever possible.

How the studies took place

The results come from two population studies that took place over the span of two years. Each was based on adult participants aged 40 to 79 from a UK database: one focused on cancer and cardiovascular disease, while the other focused on dementia. Participants wore a wrist pedometer for 24 hours a day for seven days. After counting the total number of daily steps of each volunteer, the researchers divided them into two categories: less than 40 steps per minute, which is roughly the pace of those passing from one room to another, and more than 40 steps per minute. minute, or so-called intentional walking. A third category was created for those who hit performance peaks: those who walked the most steps per minute in 30 minutes throughout the day (although, again, those 30 minutes didn’t have to happen sequentially).

The benefits

About sseven years laterthe researchers compared that data with medical records and found that the people who took the most steps per minute – in this case, about 80 steps per minute – showed the largest reduced risk of cancer, heart disease and early death from any cause. The researchers found that the association between 30-minute peaks and risk reduction depends on the disease being studied. We observed one 62% reduction for dementia: This figure was almost 80% for mortality and the incidence of cardiovascular disease and much less, about 20%, for cancer, Del Pozo Cruz told Cnn
.

Not everyone can walk fast but it is the authors themselves who point out that being physically active leads to important health benefits, and this is also true for slow walkers. However, those who walk faster gain a few more advantages.