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Richard Sagredo<\/p>\n Richard Sagredo<\/p>\n
An important exercise minimum of 4,000 steps one or two days per week was just identified in a study as a benchmark to help seniors live longer.<\/p>\n
The study patients were also are less likely to develop heart disease, say study\u2019s authors.<\/p>\n
The research, published online by the British Journal of Sports Medicine, examined not only how many steps older women take, but how often they reach their daily step targets across the week.<\/p>\n
American researchers found that those who took 4,000 steps on 1 or 2 days a week had a 27% reduction in the risk of cardiovascular disease and 26% reduction in risk of death compared to those who completed less steps.<\/p>\n
The study also found that it was the number of steps taken rather than any daily pattern of steps that was tied to the risk reductions, meaning even if they were distributed throughout the day and were not part of any single fitness program, the effect was the same.<\/p>\n
Tracking daily steps has become a standard exercise measurement for many people as many smart devices keep count with ease. Physical activity stimulates bodily repair and maintenance, which is especially important as people get older.<\/p>\n
Researchers at Mass General Brigham, an integrated health care system based in the Boston area of Massachusetts, examined 13,547 older women with an average age of 71.8-years-old.<\/p>\n
The team compared their step counts over a one-week period against their mortality and cardiovascular disease rates over the next decade to identify the benefit.<\/p>\n
\u201cAdvances in technology have made it such that we don\u2019t really move very much, and older individuals are among those least active,\u201d said study senior author Professor I-Min Lee.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause of today\u2019s low step counts, it\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
The participants wore ActiGraph GT3X+ accelerometers to track their steps over seven days between 2011 and 2015. For the next 10 years, the researchers monitored deaths and cases of cardiovascular disease among the group.<\/p>\n
The participants were sorted by how many days per week they achieved step thresholds at or above 4,000, 5,000, 6,000, or 7,000.<\/p>\n
Those that reached 4,000 steps one or two days per week had a 26% lower mortality risk and 27% lower cardiovascular disease risk compared to those that never hit 4,000 on any day. Reaching 4,000 steps three or more days in a week decreased mortality risk further to 40%.<\/p>\n