How many steps do you need to reap health benefits? A groundbreaking study by researchers from Harvard University and Mass General Brigham has revealed that taking just 4,000 steps one or two days per week can significantly lower the risk of mortality and cardiovascular disease in older women. This revelation is based on an extensive analysis of 13,547 older women, whose step counts were monitored over a one-week period and then compared against their health outcomes over the following decade. The findings, which were published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, suggest that even minimal physical activity can have substantial health benefits.
According to the study, women who achieved 4,000 steps on one or two days per week experienced a 26 percent reduction in mortality risk and a 27 percent reduction in cardiovascular disease risk compared to those who never reached this step count. Furthermore, those who managed to hit the 4,000-step mark three or more days per week saw an even greater decrease in mortality risk, up to 40 percent. However, the study also found that the benefits plateaued at higher step counts.
The Importance of Step Counts in Modern Society
“In countries like the United States, advances in technology have made it such that we don’t really move very much, and older individuals are among those least active,” said senior author I-Min Lee, an epidemiologist at Mass General and the Harvard Chan School. “Because of today’s low step counts, it’s increasingly important to determine the minimum amount of physical activity required to improve health outcomes, so that we can offer realistic and feasible goals for the public.”
This federally funded study involved a prospective cohort of 13,574 older women, with an average age of 71.8 years, who were free of cardiovascular disease or cancer at the study’s outset. The participants were part of the long-running Women’s Health Study and wore ActiGraph GT3X+ accelerometers to track their steps over a seven-day period between 2011 and 2015. Researchers then followed their health outcomes over the next decade.
Understanding the Findings
Participants were categorized based on how many days per week they achieved step thresholds of 4,000, 5,000, 6,000, or 7,000 steps. The study highlighted that the health benefits were associated with the total volume of steps rather than the frequency of reaching a specific threshold. This indicates that there isn’t a “better” way to accumulate steps; women who reached similar total step volumes, whether consistently throughout the week or sporadically, experienced comparable health benefits.
“I hope our findings encourage the addition of step count metrics to physical activity guidelines, including the upcoming 2028 U.S. Physical Activity Guidelines,” stated lead author Rikuta Hamaya of Harvard and Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
Implications and Future Research
The study’s findings have important implications for public health guidelines, particularly for older adults who may find traditional exercise recommendations daunting. By promoting a feasible target of 4,000 steps at least once a week, it could lead to significant reductions in health risks among older women nationwide.
Future research is expected to explore whether these effects are applicable to other demographics beyond older, predominantly white women in the U.S. Researchers are also interested in investigating whether even lower step counts could offer similar health benefits.
The study’s other authors include Kelly R. Evenson from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and Daniel Lieberman from Harvard University. Their collective work underscores the potential of simple lifestyle changes in enhancing health outcomes, especially in an era where physical inactivity is increasingly prevalent.
