Walking 8,000 steps once or twice a week lowers risk of death

Long walk only twice a week to live longer? Although regular physical activity is known to reduce the risk of death, a study published in the journal JAMA Network Open looked at the health benefits of walking just a few days a week. And the results are very positive: walking 8,000 steps, or almost 6.4 km, once or twice a week significantly reduces the risk of early death.

Researchers at Kyoto University and UCLA analyzed data from 3,101 American adults. They found that those who walked 8,000 or more steps once or twice a week were 14.9% less likely to die within 10 years than those who did not reach that milestone.

For those who took such long walks three to seven times a week, the risk of death decreased even more – by 16.5%. The health benefits of walking 8,000 or more steps once or twice a week seem to be even more noticeable for people aged 65 and over.

average 4000 steps per day

“The number of days per week that someone walks 8,000 steps or more was associated (in the study) with a lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease and all other causes,” the researchers said. “This work suggests that people can achieve significant health benefits from walking just a few days a week,” they continue.

For this study, the researchers examined the daily steps recorded by the participants between 2005 and 2006 and then examined their mortality ten years later. Of the participants, 632 failed to reach the 8,000 step limit on at least one day per week; 532 people reached or exceeded them once or twice a week; and 1937 people did it three to seven times a week.

On average, Americans walk 3,000 to 4,000 steps a day, according to the Mayo Clinic, which says walking as a regular physical activity can reduce the risk of heart disease, obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and depression.