Walking 8,000 steps a day will be effective! Research confirms: Walking can help reduce the risk of death by 16.5%
As long as you develop the habit of “walking” every week, can you have a chance to offset the health problems caused by sitting for a long time and not exercising? A recent study published in the authoritative journal “JAMA Network” confirmed that if you can maintain the habit of walking 8,000 steps for more than 3 days in a week, it will help reduce the risk of all-cause death and cardiovascular death. For those who lack time to exercise, It is very important for modern people.
Will walking 8,000 steps a day help extend life? Study: Risk of all-cause death reduced by up to 16.5%
A research team from Kyoto University in Japan and the University of California in the United States used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2005 to 2006 and included 3,101 subjects in the survey for analysis. The subjects were asked to wear a pedometer on their waist while awake for 7 consecutive days and record their steps at 60-second intervals every day. The final study included those who wore the pedometer for more than 10 hours on at least 4 days.
After 10 years of random visits, the research team determined that 439 subjects (14.2%) died from various causes; 148 subjects (5.3%) died from cardiovascular disease. After adjusting for potential confounders, the research team pointed out that compared with people who do not walk at all, people who walk can expect to experience the following health benefits:
People who walked more than 8,000 steps 1-2 days a week had a 14.9% lower risk of all-cause death within 10 years; the 10-year risk of cardiovascular death dropped by 8.1%.
People who walked more than 8,000 steps 3-7 days a week had a 16.5% lower risk of all-cause death within 10 years; the 10-year risk of cardiovascular death dropped by 8.4%.
As the number of walking steps or days per week increased, the risk of death within 10 years began to decrease rapidly and reached a plateau in those who walked 8,000 steps or more three days per week. Walking was associated with protective effects even after adjusting for average daily step count. The protective association stabilized when individuals took sufficient steps per day for 3 or more days.
The benefits of walking are regardless of gender or age. Walking 8,000 steps three times a week has positive benefits.
Study author Dr. Kosuke Inoue said the results were found across all age groups, and the positive benefits were regardless of gender. He believes that with the popularity of smartphones and mobile wearable devices that count daily steps, monitoring daily steps has been regarded by doctors and public health personnel as a practical strategy to promote physical activity among people. In fact, many systematic reviews and meta-analyses have confirmed the association between daily step count and all-cause mortality and cardiovascular events.
However, Dr. Inoue also emphasized that this research also has its limitations. Because daily step count was measured for only 1 week, there is a lack of data on the impact of changes in physical activity on mortality risk. In addition, given previous research showing that pedometers miss 20% of daily steps when obese adults walk at a moderate pace, the possibility of measurement error cannot be ruled out. Finally, subjects may become more active knowing they are wearing a monitoring device, such that some inactive individuals may be misclassified as active.
The benefits of walking after meals go beyond just relieving flatulence? Developing a walking habit can also help you sleep
Although the above-mentioned research has certain limitations, regular walking or walking after meals does have multiple benefits and benefits for physical health. A study published in “PLOS ONE” pointed out that walking after meals can reduce gas and bloating; while walking helps accelerate gastric emptying, it does not have as severe an impact on the gastrointestinal tract as jogging and brisk walking.
“Nutrients” shows that moderate walking can regulate blood sugar after meals, especially for people whose diet contains carbohydrates, to avoid excessive blood sugar levels; diabetic patients also benefit from this. “Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine” believes that walking not only helps lower blood sugar, but also plays a role in lowering blood pressure and reduces the risk of heart disease and stroke.
Harvard Medical School also stated that regular walking exercise has the potential to improve mental health because walking can reduce the secretion of adrenaline and cortisol and release endorphins to help relax. Research in “Elsevier” supports that regular walking exercises can help sleep. Research shows that taking a moderate walk after meals can increase deep sleep at night and prevent feelings of fullness and flatulence from affecting sleep quality.
Source:
Exercising to relax - Harvard Health Publishing
Cardiovascular Effects and Benefits of Exercise
Is exercise an alternative treatment for chronic insomnia?
Association of Daily Step Patterns With Mortality in US Adults
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