Researchers claim that, instead of the 10.000 steps that are often recommended, it is enough to take 4.400 steps a day for stronger protection against serious diseases. Research and analysis of the benefits of different levels of physical activity carried out by experts from the University of Hertfordshire found that "the classic target set may be overkill".
Physical activity helps reduce the risk of developing chronic diseases such as dementia and certain cancers, and can alleviate conditions such as type 2 diabetes.
Exercise physiology and health physiology expert Lindsey Bottoms, from the University of Hertfordshire, explored recent analyzes of real health improvements from walking 10.000 steps.
Walking 10.000 steps every day is certainly good for your health, explained Dr Bottoms, and indeed, studies show that such a habit can improve both mental and physical health, as well as reduce the risk of developing diabetes, writes dailymail.co.uk.
However, she noted, recent research from Harvard Medical School suggests, however, that 10.000 steps may be too many.
They found that 4.400 steps per day was enough to significantly reduce the risk of death in women compared to 2.700 steps per day.
No additional benefit was noted from walking up to, say, 10.000 steps a day, the experts said.
"While it is uncertain whether similar results will be seen in men, this is one example of how daily exercise can improve health and reduce the risk of death," commented Dr Bottoms.
The World Health Organization recommends that adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity or 75 minutes of vigorous physical activity per week.
However, noted Dr. Bottoms, researchers from British Columbia have shown that health improvement can be achieved even with low-intensity exercises, reports RTS.
Conversely, the University of Texas recently showed that people who take less than 5.000 steps in a day are less able to metabolize fat the next day - which can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes in the long term.
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