How many steps should I take per day?

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends taking at least 10,000 steps a day to combat the effects of a sedentary lifestyle and stay healthy. But this figure would be above all symbolic (because simple to remember) but ultimately would not have a scientific basis according to Dr. Amanda Paluch, epidemiologist at the University of Massachusetts (United States). The question she asked herself is “how many steps are sufficient daily for a protective effect? ​​”

To find out the number of daily steps to reduce the risk of premature death, the epidemiologist followed a cohort of more than 2,000 men and women, aged 45 on average. The experiment began in 2005, and the participants, who had been fitted with accelerometers to count their number of daily steps and the intensity of their steps during waking hours, were followed at regular intervals until 2018. Conclusion: people who took at least 7000 steps per day had an approximately 50-70% lower risk of premature death than those who took an average of less than 7,000 steps per day in the experiment. On the other hand, the intensity of the steps (that is to say the speed of the steps taken) does not seem to have any effect on the mortality.

Whether it is to prevent cardiovascular disease or reduce the risk of breast cancer, scientists believe that starting by setting a daily goal of 7,000 steps per day helps you not to get discouraged too quickly, because 10,000 steps per day is enough. is still the equivalent of a 7.5 km walk. In addition, “taking more than 10,000 steps per day was not associated with an additional reduction in the risk of mortality”, explain the researchers. in their study, published in the Jama Network.

Source:

Steps per Day and All-Cause Mortality in Middle-aged Adults in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults Study, Jama network, September 2021

Read also :

Subscribe to the Top Santé Newsletter to receive the latest news for free