Study: Higher Daily Step Count May Lead to Longer Life

A new study revealed that taking more than 8,000 steps a day may lower the risk of dying early. Researchers from the National Institutes of Health and other organizations in the United States found that a person’s daily step count has a strong connection with longevity. Compared to taking 4,000 steps each day, taking 8,000 to 12,000 steps daily correlated to a 51% to 65% reduced risk of all causes of death, including heart disease and cancer. On the other hand, the researchers discovered that the risk of death is not affected by the intensity or pace of a person's steps. One of the authors said that the goal of the research is to help people recognize the impact of their step count on their health. To gather data for the study, researchers followed around 4,800 American adults who were at least 40 years old between 2003 and 2006. The participants wore trackers for about a week to record their activity. In their calculations, the researchers took into account the participants’ lifestyle, body mass index, and health condition during the onset of the study. Then, they studied the mortality rate of the participants over a 10-year period. The researchers stated that the study mostly relied on observation and does not directly prove that walking is the direct cause of the lower number of deaths among the participants. Nonetheless, the study's results are in line with experts' advice that adults should increase their daily physical activity and do at least 150 minutes of moderate exercises weekly. A spokesperson from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention added that being physically active has other benefits like improving overall physical wellbeing and helping people sleep better.