Walking 7,000 steps a day is enough to boost health - study

A new academic report suggests that you don't have to walk 10,000 steps each day to get a sizeable risk reduction against a number of diseases. Ella Pickover reports

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WALKING 7,000 steps a day may be enough to protect against a number of diseases, a new study suggests.

While many people have the goal to get 10,000 steps in their daily routine, some find this target difficult to achieve.

But new research suggests “sizeable” health benefits - including a reduced risk of dementia, heart disease and premature death - can still be seen from fewer daily steps.

Even modest step counts of 4,000 steps a day can reap benefits over very low levels of activity, experts found.

But experts noted that “10,000 steps per day will still be better than 7,000 steps” - with the higher step count leading to more health benefits.

The new study, led by academics from the University of Sydney in Australia, saw researchers examine data from dozens of studies from around the world, including in the UK, on tens of thousands of adults.