Which is healthier: longer walks one to two days a week or shorter, more frequent walks?
Using data from more than 13,500 participants (average age 71) in the U.S. Women’s Health Study, researchers found that at least 4,000 steps a day once or twice a week led to a:
- 26% decrease in the risk of earlier death from all causes compared with not reaching the 4,000-step threshold on any day of the week.
- 27% decrease in the risk for cardiovascular disease death.
“For those achieving (the 4,000) step count on at least three days of the week, the lower risk of death from any cause increased to 40% but remained at 27% for the risk of cardiovascular death,” the researchers said.
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They added that the results suggest “step volume is more important than the frequency of meeting daily step thresholds in the older population.”
The study was published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
