Walking just 4,000 steps once a week could cut risk of early death

Older people who only achieve 4,000 daily steps once a week still reduce their risk of dying early by a quarter, a study suggests.

- Andrew Gregory Health editor

Researchers found achieving 4,000 steps a day on one or two days a week was associated with a significantly lower risk of death and lower risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), compared with not reaching this level on any day. The findings were published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

The study, led by Harvard University, followed 13,547 American women over 62, with 72 the average age. They wore activity trackers for seven consecutive days between 2011 and 2015 and were followed for more than a decade. None had heart disease or cancer at the start of the study.