Start walking to live longer and in better health – 7,000 steps a day enough to lower the risks of death by half
- Accident and emergency doctor Michael Daignault says walking is an underrated exercise, but it’s free to perform and is well tolerated by most
- Studies show just 7,000 steps a day are enough to dramatically reduce your chances of dying. Daily walking can lower your risks for dementia and diabetes too
Did you know that getting in your daily steps could save your life?
A new study of more than 2,000 adults showed that taking at least 7,000 steps per day reduced mortality risk by 50 per cent to 70 per cent compared to those who took fewer steps. The average age of study participants was 45, and they were followed over an 11-year period.
This is the kind of evidence-based study I like to share with my patients in the accident and emergency. Although our time together is limited, I try to discuss diet and exercise with my patients as much as possible. I’ve found that most patients who don’t typically exercise find it a daunting task to start.
They assume that their only option is to transition from not exercising to joining a gym. While a lot of people can make that leap, I actually recommend most patients start off slowly – they may also need clearance from their primary care doctor or cardiologist first.
Walking also reduces your risk of dementia
A really fascinating United-Kingdom-based study published in JAMA looked at a larger group of adults to determine if walking had any benefit with reducing the risk of dementia. Scientists studied over 78,000 adults ranging from 40 to 79 years. This group had a higher average age than the aforementioned study and were followed over seven years.