6 Mar, 2024 @ 10:09
1 min read

Revealed: The optimum number of steps per day to reduce your risk of heart problems and death

SCIENTISTS have revealed the optimum number of steps per day to reduce your risk of heart disease. 

Even a short walk could help reduce your risk of cardiovascular events and early death. Photo by Arek Adeoye on Unsplash

READ MORE: This is the best time of day to go for a walk if you want to reduce your sugar levels, according to a new study

We live in an ever more sedentary society but lucky for us, a major study has shown every step counts when it comes to battling illness.

Research from the University of Sydney revealed each step up to 10,000 reduces the risk of death and cardiovascular disease. 

The study aimed to investigate if walking can combat the potential risks of leading a sedentary lifestyle. 

It used data from the British Biobank study, where over 70,000 participants wore health tracking watches. 

The participants’ median number of daily steps was 6222 per day.

In comparison, the lowest 5% of participants walked just 2200 steps a day on average. 

READ MORE: Health alert over diabetes medication in Spain: ‘Defective’ packets are removed from shelves – this is the affected batch

The median sedentary time was 10.6 hours a day. 

Over a period of 6.9 years, 1633 deaths and three cardiovascular events occurred. 

This allowed researchers to calculate the optimal number of daily steps we should be taking to counteract a sedentary lifestyle. 

They found that walking 9000-10,000 steps a day could reduce the risk of mortality by 39% and the risk of cardiovascular events by 21%. 

However, just 4000-4500 steps could be enough to give you half of these benefits. 

In fact, any step count higher than 2200 a day was associated with lower mortality rates and cardiovascular events.

READ MORE: Only 25% of young people in Spain have a healthy diet, new study finds

Yzabelle Bostyn

Yzabelle Bostyn is an NCTJ trained journalist who started her journalistic career at the Olive Press in 2023.
Before moving to Spain, she studied for a BA in English Literature and Hispanic Studies at the University of Sheffield.
After graduating she moved to the university’s journalism department, one of the best in the UK.
Throughout the past few years, she has taken on many roles including social media marketing, copywriting and radio presenting.
She then took a year out to travel Latin America, scaling volcanoes in Guatemala and swimming with sharks in Belize.
Then, she came to the Olive Press last year where she has honed her travel writing skills and reported on many fantastic experiences such as the Al Andalus luxury train.
She has also undertaken many investigations, looking into complex issues like Spain’s rental crisis and rising cancer rates.
Always willing to help, she has exposed many frauds and scams, working alongside victims to achieve justice.
She is most proud of her work on Nolotil, a drug linked to the deaths of many Brits in Spain.
A campaign launched by Yzabelle has received considerable support and her coverage has been by the UK and Spanish media alike.
Her writing has featured on many UK news outlets from the Sun to the Mail Online, who contracted her to report for them in Tenerife on growing tourism issues.
Recently, she has appeared on Times Radio covering deadly flooding in Valencia.

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