Regular exercise is known to have several health benefits. Following a daily routine of workouts also helps in lowering mortality risk. This can be done by simply walking a certain number of steps in a week. According to a new study, walking 8,000 steps one or two days a week can reduce the risk of early death significantly. These 8,000 steps would roughly be 6.4 kilometres or about 4 miles.
The study, which has been published in the journal JAMA Network Open, talks about intense walking and its benefits. The study said that walking intensively only a few days a week can have great health benefits.
As per the findings of the study, those who walked 8,000 steps or more only once or twice a week were 14.9 per cent less likely to die over a 10-year period when compared to those who never reached that mark.
Beware! Receipts From ATMs, Grocery Stores May Be Affecting Your Health – Details | ALSO READ
The mortality risk went down further — 16.5 per cent — among those who walked 8,000 steps or more three to seven days a week. The researchers found the health benefits of walking 8,000 steps or more appeared for senior citizens or those who were aged 65 years and more.
8,000 steps or more was associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular mortality
“The number of days per week taking 8,000 steps or more was associated with a lower risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality,” said the researchers from the University of California, US and Kyoto University in Japan.
“These findings hint about substantial health benefits one can achieve simply by walking just a couple of days a week,” they added.
Health Tips | Pomegranates Can Keep Heart Disease at Bay: Here’s how | ALSO READ
3,100 participants were part of the study and the researchers observed their daily step counts between 2005 and 2006 and examined their mortality data 10 years later.
Out of 3,100 participants, 1,937 took 8,000 or more steps three to seven days a week. While 632 people took 8,000 steps or more zero days a week, 532 took 8,000 steps or more one to two days a week.
