Seven thousand steps is the new magic number

 If, like me, you've been trying for years to fit those widely recommended 10,000 steps per day into your schedule without great success, you may be able to breathe a sigh of relief. New research published in the prestigious Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) shows that just 7,000 steps per day significantly reduces deaths from all causes among middle-aged Americans, regardless of race or gender. 

It's not that taking more than 7,000 steps per day would be bad for you--increasing benefits were found up to 10,000 steps per day. However, the benefits of moderate walking--just 7000 to 9000 steps per day--were massive, a 50 to 70 percent reduction in the risk of dying over the years of the study.

Credit: MabelAmber

"You see this gradual risk reduction in mortality as you get more steps," says Amanda Paluch, an assistant professor of kinesiology at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and corresponding author for the JAMA study. "There were substantial health benefits between 7,000 and 10,000 steps but we didn't see an additional benefit from going beyond 10,000 steps."

(It turns out that 10,000 steps per day was not a scientifically determined goal, but a catchy number that gained traction because of an advertising campaign for a Japanese pedometer!)

Paluch and her colleagues utilized data from the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study. The study started in 1983 and is still continuing. It involved over 5,000 men and women from four US states, and is notable for both its duration--now approaching 40 years--and for its racial balance. 

Participants activity levels were measured over the course of one year, and they were re-assessed ten years later. Overall, participants who walked 7,000 to 9,000 steps per day at the start of the study were just 28 percent as likely to die as those who walked fewer than 7,000 steps per day--a more than 70 percent risk reduction. Women and Blacks showed the greatest benefits of higher activity levels, but men and Whites still showed a 60 percent reduction in mortality risk over 7,000 steps per day.

Interestingly, walking faster was not associated with decreased mortality. The number of steps turned out to be much more important than the minute-by-minute intensity of the exercize.

The clear implication is that no matter who you are, you can increase your odds of living a longer and healthier life simply by taking 7,000 or more steps per day. 

"Showing that steps per day could be associated with premature mortality is a new contribution to the field," says Paluch. "Preventing those deaths before average life expectancy--that is a big deal."

Let's all make Professor Paluch happy, and click off those 7,000 steps starting today!

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REA 9/30/21