10,000 Steps a Day: Key to Longevity and Cardiovascular Health, Study Reveals

Jakarta –

Even though it seems small, walking regularly every day seems to have amazing benefits. In addition to being able to extend life, the practice of walking is also associated with improving cardiovascular health, especially the heart.

A recent study published in the Journal of Sports Medicine revealed that walking 10 thousand steps can reduce the risk of death and cardiovascular disease. This research was carried out by accessing data from 72,174 people with an average age of 61 years.

The researchers looked at the median step count for study subjects who logged 6,222 steps a day and those who counted 2,200 steps a day, which was the lowest 5 percent of daily steps among the participants. Researchers used these measurements as a reference point to assess the effect on cardiovascular disease mortality as the number of steps increased.

Observations were carried out for seven years after which 1,633 people died and 6,190 people experienced cardiovascular disease. After considering other factors that may be involved, the study authors concluded that 9,000 to 10,500 steps a day was optimal.

The number of these measures can reduce the risk of death by up to 39 percent, cardiovascular risk by 21 percent. In addition, 50 percent of the benefits can be obtained with 4,000 to 4,500 steps a day.

“Taking between 9,000 and 10,000 steps a day best reduces the risk of death and cardiovascular events among sedentary participants,” wrote the research team, quoted from Medical News Today, Sunday (12/5/2024 ).

“The lowest level is associated with significantly lower mortality and CVD risk between 4,000 and 4,500 steps per day,” he continued.

As this research is observational, cause and effect cannot be determined in this condition. More research is needed regarding the heart benefits of regular walking.

However, the research team concluded that there is a link between regular walking and heart health.

Cardiologist Hoang Nguyen of MemorialCare Heart & Vascular Institute in California, who was not involved in the research, said that regular physical activity has had cardiovascular benefits for decades. But, according to him, this research is different.

“This study is interesting because it addresses higher activity levels that may counteract a sedentary lifestyle in terms of benefits in terms of cardiovascular disease and mortality,” said Nguyen.

“This study benefits from a large data set, but is limited by the fact that it is an observational study with unknown confounding factors,” he said.

Next: Benefits of walking regularly

(avk/up)