A new study has found that taking 9,800 steps a day is the “optimal dose” which can reduce dementia risk by 50 per cent.
The research also revealed that taking just 3,800 steps could lower risk by 25 per cent, and that walking at a faster pace was also beneficial in protecting against dementia.
The study, from researchers at the University of Sydney and University of Southern Denmark, also found that walking had universal health benefits, with every 2,000 steps taken lowering the risk of premature death incrementally by 8 to 11 per cent, up to 10,000 steps a day.
“The take-home message here is that for protective health benefits people could not only ideally aim for 10,000 steps a day but also aim to walk faster,” said co-lead author Dr Matthew Ahmadi, research fellow at the University of Sydney’s Charles Perkins Centre and Faculty of Medicine and Health.
“For less active individuals, our study also demonstrates that as low as 3,800 steps a day can cut the risk of dementia by 25 per cent,” said co-lead author Associate Professor Borja del Pozo Cruz from the University of Southern Denmark and senior researcher in health at the University of Cadiz.
The study was based on data from the UK Biobank and involved 78,500 adults with wearable trackers, making this the largest research project to objectively track step count in relation to health outcomes.
Participants were aged 40 to 79, with health outcomes analysed seven years on. Participants wore a wrist accelerometer to measure physical activity over a period of seven days, with a minimum three days, including a weekend day and monitoring during sleep periods.
With ethics consent, this information was linked with participants’ health records through several data sources and registries including inpatient hospital, primary care records, and cancer and death registries.
Only those who were free of cardiovascular disease, cancer or dementia at baseline and disease-free in the first two years of the study were included in the final assessment. Statistical adjustments were also made for confounders, such as the fact that people who do more steps generally walk faster.
The researchers note that the studies are observational, meaning they cannot show direct cause and effect, however, note the strong and consistent associations seen across both studies at the population level.
“The size and scope of these studies using wrist-worn trackers makes it the most robust evidence to date suggesting that 10,000 steps a day is the sweet spot for health benefits and walking faster is associated with additional benefits,” said Dr Matthew Ahmadi.
“Going forward more research with longer-term use of trackers will shed more light on the health benefits associated with certain levels and intensity of daily stepping.”
