Forget getting your 10,000 steps a day! One long walk better for heart health than short bursts, scientists discover
Taking 10,000 steps a day is a popular fitness goal for millions of people.
But if new research is to be believed, a less time-intensive alternative may be more effective when it comes to weight loss.
One study suggested that taking regular 15-minute walks during the day could help reduce the risk of heart disease and even premature death.
Australian and Spanish researchers who tracked the movements of more than 33,000 adults found that those who walked for more than 15 minutes at a time reduced the risk of premature death by up to 85 percent compared to those who walked in five-minute intervals.
The results showed that “modest changes to step patterns without a dramatic increase in step count” can provide significant benefits to heart health, the researchers claimed.
Their findings were published in the journal Annals of Internal MedicineIt may also help doctors encourage the least active patients to increase their total number of steps, or at least take most of their daily steps in a row, they said.
Dr., an expert on cardiovascular disease prevention at the University of Sydney and co-author of the study. Matthew Ahmadi said: ‘There is a perception that health experts recommend walking 10,000 steps a day as a target, but this is not necessary.
‘Adding one or two long walks a day, each lasting at least 10-15 minutes, at a comfortable but steady pace, can provide significant benefits, especially for people who don’t walk much.’
Dr. D., an expert in lifestyle epidemiology at the European University in Madrid and co-author of the study. Borja del Pozo added: ‘Our research shows that simple changes can make a big difference to your health.
‘If you walk a little, take some time to take more frequent and longer walks. ‘Such small changes can have a big impact.’
In the study, 33,560 adults wore a research wristband that measured not only how many steps they took for a week but also how their step counts added up.
They were then divided into four groups and their health was monitored for an average of eight years.
The first group completed most of their daily steps in less than five minutes.
The latter achieved the majority with matches of 5 to 10 minutes, while the third group achieved this with matches of 10 to 15 minutes.
The fourth group, meanwhile, retraced most of their steps at intervals of more than 15 minutes.
Scientists have discovered that the risk of death decreases as match length increases.
Researchers claimed the results show that “modest changes to step patterns without a dramatic increase in step count” can provide significant benefits to heart health.
The risk of death in those who had seizures lasting less than five minutes was 4.36 percent.
This rate decreased to 1.83 percent, 0.84 percent and 0.8 percent in the second, third and fourth groups, respectively.
Meanwhile, the risk of developing cardiovascular disease was 13.03 percent in the first group.
This rate decreased to 11.09 percent, 7.71 percent and 4.39 percent in the second, third and fourth groups, respectively.
“Those who took most of their daily steps in long bursts had a lower risk of death and cardiovascular disease than those who took shorter bursts of steps,” the researchers said.
‘These differences were greater between them’ people who are more sedentary.’
However, they acknowledged that the study had some limitations, including that cardiovascular disease medications were self-reported by study participants and dosage levels were not recorded.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise per week.
It is estimated that the sedentary lifestyle of Britons in the United Kingdom, where they spend their working hours at a desk and then sit in front of the TV on the train or car ride home, causes thousands of deaths every year.
A 2019 estimate puts the annual death toll at 70,000 people and treating health problems costs the NHS £700 million each year.
A 2018 study from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated that nearly 1 in 10 (8.3 percent) of adult deaths in the U.S. were caused by physical inactivity.
WHO estimates the annual global death toll from physical inactivity at approximately 2 million per year, making it among the 10 leading causes of global death and disability.
While physical inactivity has long been associated with health problems such as cardiovascular disease, it also contributes to health problems such as obesity; This is linked to an increased risk of type 2 diabetes and some cancers.
