“We found that even walking fewer than the often-recommended 10,000 steps a day — and picking up the pace a bit — leads to a meaningful drop in the risk of serious heart problems,” says study supervisor Emmanuel Stamatakis, PhD, professor of physical activity, lifestyle, and population health with the School of Health Sciences at the University of Sydney in Australia.
“This study is one of the first to demonstrate a dose-response relationship between daily step count and major problems of the heart and blood vessels,” he notes.
Study Looked at Over 36,000 People With High Blood Pressure
Dr. Stamatakis and his collaborators analyzed information on more than 36,000 older adults, average age 64, who’d been diagnosed with high blood pressure (hypertension). The average was 150 systolic over 87 diastolic.
Blood pressure that is too high can damage the walls of blood vessels, forcing the heart to work harder and raising the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Study participants agreed to wear a device on their wrist for seven consecutive days to measure how far and how fast they walked. Scientists collected data between 2013 and 2015, and followed participants for up to eight years. During this time, close to 2,000 heart problems or stroke incidents were recorded.
How Much Walking Was Required to Seriously Lower Cardiovascular Disease Risk?
The study, published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, concluded that every 1,000 extra steps per day above 2,300 steps was associated with the following risk reductions:
- 17 percent reduction in overall heart risks
- 22 percent reduction in heart failure risk
- 9 percent reduction in heart attack risk
- 24 percent reduction in stroke risk
In addition to looking at subjects with high blood pressure, researchers also analyzed data on more than 37,000 people without high blood pressure, and found that walking produced similar decreases in risk.
“It’s important to note, though, that there isn’t a point where you can reach zero risk just by walking,” says Stamatakis. “Above 10,000 steps, additional benefits continued, especially for reducing stroke risk, but the benefit didn’t keep adding up at the same rate for all types of heart events. So, more steps are better, but even modest increases from wherever you start can make a big difference.”
Study authors added that the average intensity of 30 minutes of fastest walking per day was 80 steps a minute and this was associated with a 30 percent reduced risk of any major heart problem.
Participants who pushed their pace as high as 130 steps a minute or higher did not experience any major heart episodes.
Even Relatively Low Step Counts Delivered Benefits
One of the most striking findings was just how much benefit people got even at lower step counts, according to Stamatakis, with improvements in risk starting at 2,300 steps.
The bottom line, though, is that while you should walk as much as you can, “Any amount of walking is helpful,” says Parveen Garg, MD, cardiologist with Keck Medicine of USC in Los Angeles, who was not involved in the study.
How Does Walking Improve Your Health?
Previous research has demonstrated that the simple act of walking can lower blood pressure in patients with hypertension.
Keith Diaz, PhD, an associate professor of behavioral medicine at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City, and a member of the American Heart Association’s Physical Activity Science Committee, notes that walking also can help lower cholesterol, blood sugar, triglycerides (a type of fat in the blood), and body weight, as well as reduce inflammation.
“Regular walking causes the heart to become stronger and better at pumping blood,” says Dr. Diaz, who was not involved in the study. “The blood vessels around your heart dilate better, and the number of blood vessels, branches, and connections around your heart increases. This all leads to a healthier and better functioning heart.”
Brisk walking, even in short bursts, heightens the positive power of this exercise, according to Stamatakis. Moving at a higher intensity makes your heart and lungs work harder, which improves cardiovascular fitness, lowers blood pressure, helps with weight management, and keeps blood vessels healthy, he says.
Study Has Strengths and Limitations
Dr. Garg praised the study for focusing on a large population (although it was predominantly white) and drawing on data from electronic devices that could provide very precise information.
The researchers, however, only measured physical activity at the study start without capturing any future changes in walking habits, so it’s unclear if step counts were maintained by individuals throughout the follow-up.
How to Get More Walking Into Your Life
There are lots of easy ways to add short or long bursts of brisk walking into your daily routine, according to Stamatakis:
- Replace short car trips (those under 1 mile) with walking.
- If you have a dog, take it for an extra walk per day. Pick up the pace at intervals, if possible.
- Park a little farther from your destination and stride to the entrance.
- Take the stairs instead of elevators, and step up them just a bit faster than usual. Stair climbing is one of the best forms of walking.
- If you’re on a phone call, pace around the house briskly.
“These small actions can really add up,” Stamatakis says. “The goal is to find opportunities in your everyday life to move a little more and a little faster when you can.”
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