The quick takeaway
- 10,000 steps per day at a moderate walking pace of three miles an hour is much more physical activity than the 150 minutes of moderate activity recommended in the UK physical activity guidelines.
- Meeting the UK physical activity guidelines for aerobic activity could be achieved with around 2,500 steps per day at a moderate walking pace.
- Most of the steps taken in stepping studies fall below the threshold for moderate physical activity. Nevertheless, there is an inverse relationship between steps taken and mortality.
- The relationship between stepping and mortality appears to be independent of stepping intensity.
- The relationship between the number of steps taken per day and mortality is curvilinear, meaning that as the number of steps increases so does longevity, but after a certain number of steps per day there is no further increase in longevity.
- Studies vary as to value of this optimum number of steps per day. It seems that men might need to step more than women and young people more than older people. Overall, the evidence suggests that 8,000 steps per day is the optimum for the over 60’s and 10,000 steps per day for the under 60’s.
- There are similar curvilinear relationships between steps per day and metabolic biomarkers, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer and dementia. Again, the evidence suggests that the optimum number of steps per day for health benefits is around 10,000.
- The evidence supports health benefits below the optimum of 10,000 steps per day.
- It may not be necessary to achieve the optimum number of steps every day; three to four days a week may be sufficient for the health benefits.
- There may be a “stepping paradox” such that whilst steps taken in leisure time are good for health, steps taken at work as part of a physically demanding job may be less beneficial.
The Full Deal
Most people have heard of the 10,000 steps per day target and many people carry devices that count their steps per day. Some people know that the 10,000 step goal originated in a marketing campaign (in Japan, for a pedometer) rather than a piece of scientific research, but the number has stuck. The publicity around 10,000 steps per day led to research to test its validity and a lot is now known about stepping and health. The outcome of all this research has been to validate the original 10,000 steps per day target, but there is a lot more useful information in addition to the target itself in the research, in terms of type of steps, speed of stepping and the health benefits of stepping.
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