BJSM: Just 30 minutes of brisk walking a day may reduce the risk of premature death

To reduce the risk of premature death, it may not be necessary to walk 10,000 steps every day: taking fewer steps at a faster pace may provide comparable benefits, according to a study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

Researchers analyzed data from 103,684 middle-aged residents of the United Kingdom who wore activity trackers for seven days. The scientists compared daily step counts, walking speed and mortality rates, following the participants for an average of about eight years.

Participants were divided into four groups based on their daily step counts: fewer than 5,000; 5,000–7,500; 7,500–10,000; and more than 10,000 steps. Researchers also considered the maximum sustained walking pace during the most active 30 minutes of each day.

The findings showed that a faster pace could partly compensate for a lower number of steps. For example, among people who walked fewer than 5,000 steps per day, maintaining a pace of at least 80 steps per minute was associated with a reduction in mortality risk comparable to that seen among people who took 5,000–7,500 steps but walked at a slower pace of around 60 steps per minute.

The duration of brisk walking was particularly important. Among people who took fewer than 7,500 steps per day, maintaining a faster pace for at least 30 minutes a day was consistently associated with a lower risk of death from any cause.

Overall, the lowest risk of premature death was observed among participants who walked 7,500–10,000 steps per day, regardless of walking speed. Walking at a brisk pace for at least 30 minutes was also associated with a lower risk of death regardless of the total number of steps taken.

Similar patterns were observed for deaths from cardiovascular disease.

The study was observational and does not establish a cause-and-effect relationship. However, the findings may be particularly relevant for people who find it difficult to reach a high daily step count because of limited time, physical limitations or environmental factors.