The value of reaching several thousand steps a day goes beyond bragging rights.
A recent study published in a scientific journal of the British Medical Association evaluated the physical activity of 85,000 adults with an median age of 63 and discovered a connection between daily step count and reduced cancer risk.
For the study, participants wore wrist monitors that tracked daily activity, daily step count and activity intensity over a period of one week. Researchers then followed up with the participants for an average of nearly six years.
During that time, more than 2,600 participants were diagnosed with one of 13 types of cancer.
After the follow-up period, researchers examined the relationship between the daily averages and the incidence of cancer.
They found that participants who engaged in the most daily physical activity had a 26% reduced risk of developing cancer compared with those who did the least physical activity each day.
Compared with participants who had about 5,000 steps a day, those with about 7,000 steps per day had an 11% lower risk of cancer, while those with 9,000 daily steps had a 16% lower cancer risk.
After 9,000 steps, the beneficial effect plateaued, however.
The benefits of walking weren’t affected by pace — or intensity — just the number of steps daily.
Replacing daily sedentary time with low-intensity physical activity, such as doing household chores or running errands, was also associated with a reduced cancer risk, the study found. That’s even after researchers accounted for lifestyle and demographic factors and health conditions that might affect cancer risk.
So, even if you’re not ready to incorporate intense physical activity into your daily habits, a daily walk around the neighborhood could help you reduce your risk of cancer.
Need another reason to get your steps in? Walking daily may also help stave off dementia, as we reported in “Walking This Much May Help You Avoid Dementia.”
Add a Comment