How many steps do older women need to live longer?
Association of Step Volume and Intensity With All-Cause Mortality in Older Women.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Walking faster didn’t reduce mortality risk once total steps were accounted for.
Public health guidelines often emphasize 'brisk walking' as key for cardiovascular health, so finding no added benefit from intensity contradicts common recommendations.
Practical Takeaways
Aim for about 7,500 steps per day for optimal longevity benefit — going beyond isn’t necessary.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Walking faster didn’t reduce mortality risk once total steps were accounted for.
Public health guidelines often emphasize 'brisk walking' as key for cardiovascular health, so finding no added benefit from intensity contradicts common recommendations.
Practical Takeaways
Aim for about 7,500 steps per day for optimal longevity benefit — going beyond isn’t necessary.
Publication
Journal
JAMA internal medicine
Year
2019
Authors
I. Lee, E. Shiroma, M. Kamada, D. Bassett, C. Matthews, J. Buring
Related Content
Claims (6)
Older women who walk about 4,400 steps a day tend to live longer than those who walk only 2,700 steps. More walking is linked to lower risk of dying from any cause.
Older women who walk about 4,400 steps a day tend to live longer than those who walk only 2,700 steps, and walking more helps up to about 7,500 steps — after that, walking even more doesn’t seem to lower the risk of dying any further.
How fast you walk doesn't really matter for living longer - what matters is how many total steps you take each day.
Walking about 7,500 steps a day helps older women live longer, but walking more than that doesn’t seem to add any extra benefit.
For older women, walking faster or with more intensity doesn't seem to lower the risk of death more than just hitting a total number of steps per day.