Latest news with #DanielBailey
Toronto Sun
2 days ago
- Health
- Toronto Sun
You don't need 10,000 daily steps to impact your health: Study
Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. You've been told time and time again: Get in your daily 10,000 steps to stay healthy. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account But do you really need to take that many steps to maintain a healthy body? According to a new study, about 7,000 daily steps is ideal, lowering the risk of such ailments as dementia, depression, heart disease, cancer and type 2 diabetes. The study, which was published in The Lancet Public Health Journal, noted that 7,000 steps has an impact, ranging from a 6% reduction in cancer risk or a 38% decline in dementia. The 7,000 steps daily is also linked to a 28% risk reduction of falls. The study details essentially 'debunk the myth that 10,000 steps per day should be the target for optimal health,' Dr. Daniel Bailey, reader in sedentary behaviour and health at Brunel University of London, told news site Euronews. Researchers tracked data from more than 160,000 people across 31 studies. The research revealed that people who averaged 4,000 daily steps had better health outcomes compared to people who led sedentary lives (who averaged 2,000 steps per day). This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. It turns out, the more people who walked, the better off they fared if they had heart disease. For other outcomes, however, health benefits appear to decline after approximately 7,000 steps per day, the study noted. There are some limits to the study; however, most notably, findings on dementia and cancer are less certain because the referenced data came from only a few studies. Secondly, some of the studies referenced didn't take into account other factors that affect health, such as age or frailty. Recommended video Researchers say the findings in the study could be encouraging for semi-active people, as 7,000 daily steps may be more realistic for their lifestyle compared to the unofficial 10,000-step goal. It's recommended that adults complete at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week, or 75 minutes of intense exercise once a week, per Euronews. Sports Columnists Sunshine Girls Toronto & GTA Toronto & GTA
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Revealed: The number of steps you need to improve your life expectancy
Walking 7,000 steps a day is the sweet spot for preventing many chronic diseases that can lead to an early death, a major study has shown. While the goal of 10,000 daily steps has become firmly established in the public consciousness, an international team of researchers found even a modest amount of walking brings major benefits. British scientists said it finally 'debunked the myth' of 10,000 steps and should encourage people to try and hit the lower target. The major review of 57 studies involving 160,000 adults, which was published in The Lancet, concluded that for most conditions health benefits tended to level off beyond 7,000 steps. Hitting 7,000 steps a day was found to reduce all-cause-mortality by 47 per cent, cardiovascular disease by 25 per cent, cancer by six per cent, diabetes by 14 per cent, dementia by 38 per cent and depression by 22 per cent. Health benefits were also apparent from 4,000 steps when compared to 'inactive' people who walked just 2,000, the study led by the University of Sydney found. Every extra 1,000 steps brought better outcomes, researchers found. Commenting on the study, Steven Harridge, professor of human and applied physiology at King's College London, said: 'Humans are designed to be physically active – our evolutionary heritage as hunter gatherers. 'There has been debate about the amount of activity an individual should be doing with 10,000 steps as a generalised target, not well evidenced. 'This paper shows that 7,000 steps is sufficient for reducing the risk for most diseases covered, and 10, 000 steps does not confer much additional benefit.' According to World Health Organisation data, insufficient physical activity is the fourth most frequent cause of death in the world, with 3.2 million deaths a year related to physical inactivity. Many health organisations recommend hitting 10,000 steps a day, although there is little evidence for the target, which is believed to have arisen from a Japanese marketing campaign in the 1960s. In the run-up to the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, the company Yamasa sought to capitalise on the sudden interest in fitness, so designed the world's first wearable step-counter. They called it the Manpo-kei, or '10,000-step meter'. The company appears to have chosen the figure at random, as a fun goal, but it has stuck ever since. The new paper found that for heart disease, walking more than 7,000 steps was beneficial, but for most conditions there was little gain from putting in more said it was still unclear why walking brings such striking benefits but said it is likely to increase cardiorespiratory fitness, which is known to be positively associated with better health and all-cause mortality outcomes. Commenting on the research, Dr Daniel Bailey, an expert in sedentary behaviour and health at Brunel University of London, said the 7,000 steps target was more achievable for many people than 10,000 steps. 'Just adding more steps from your starting point can have important benefits for health,' he said. 'This study adds to existing evidence by showing that the more steps people do, the less their risk of developing different health conditions. 'The finding that doing 5,000-7,000 steps per day is beneficial, is an important addition to the literature which helps to debunk the myth that 10,000 steps per day should be the target for optimal health.' The Alzheimer's Society also welcomed the study saying it demonstrated that inactivity is a major risk factor for dementia. Dr Richard Oakley, associate director of research and innovation at the charity said: 'It adds to the evidence that what's good for the heart is good for the head.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
