How many steps a day the evidence actually supports
A review of ten systematic studies covering more than 128,000 adults found the lowest risk of death sat at 8,000 to 10,000 steps a day for people under 60, and 6,000 to 8,000 for people older than that — well short of the popular 10,000-step target.
How many steps a day actually make a difference? A review pooling data from more than 128,000 adults suggests the popular 10,000-step target is higher than the evidence supports for most people.
The review, published in the journal BMJ Open, combined ten earlier systematic reviews covering 127 underlying studies, all of which measured people’s daily steps with a pedometer or fitness tracker rather than relying on people’s own estimates.
For adults aged 60 or under, the review found the lowest risk of death from any cause among people walking a certain daily range of steps.
That range was 8,000 to 10,000 steps a day. For adults older than 60, the lowest-risk range was lower still.
That older-age range came out at 6,000 to 8,000 steps a day.
Each extra 1,000 steps a day was linked to a 23% lower risk of death from any cause, the review found.
The pattern held for heart disease too, among the same older age group. Walking 6,000 to 9,000 steps a day was associated with a much lower risk of cardiovascular disease.
That lower risk ran as high as 40% to 50%, the review found.
Each additional 500 steps beyond that was linked to a further drop in cardiovascular risk, of 6%.
The review’s own authors were clear about what the numbers can and cannot show. Every one of the underlying studies simply observed people’s habits rather than testing step counts directly, so the results show a link, not proof that walking more by itself causes the lower risk.
The authors also flagged their own limits: their review only pulled together studies published in English, the studies they combined varied widely in who they looked at and how, and they did not formally grade the strength of the evidence behind each result.
The NHS does not set a daily step count target for adults. Its guidance for working-age adults instead asks for 150 minutes of moderate activity a week.
A brisk 10-minute walk already counts towards that weekly total, the NHS says.
People with a health condition, or who have not exercised in a while, are advised by the NHS to speak to a doctor before increasing their activity.