Regular physical activity is one of the most important habits that we must acquire if we want to improve our health and age better. Staying physically active reduces the risk of diabetes, certain cancers and many cardiovascular diseases, as well as improving our quality of life and reducing muscle pain. One measurement that is frequently used to quantify daily activity is the number of steps , since it is very simple and easy to measure today with portable devices.
There are many studies, each with its limitations, that estimate the daily number of steps that should be taken to obtain these benefits. The latest, published in the JAMA Network Open magazine, indicates that people who take a minimum of 7,000 steps a day have a 50-70% lower risk of premature mortality. Furthermore, the authors found no association between the intensity of the gait and said risk.
The study included 2,110 people between the ages of 38 and 50, and both black and white men and women were included in the groups. The volunteers were monitored using wearable electronic devices for an average of 10.8 years and between 2020 and 2021 the data was analyzed and premature deaths from any cause were examined.
Encourage physical activity
“The findings of this study may have important clinical implications,” the authors explain. “Portable patient monitoring systems are emerging as personalized medicine tools for the prevention and management of chronic conditions. The steps estimated from these devices could be a simple metric to track and promote physical activity. Also, encouraging walking to achieve step goals is a form of activity well tolerated by most people. ” For researchers, trying to encourage more physical activity in groups that take fewer than 7,000 steps a day is a simple public health measure that can have good results.
However, the authors recognize some limitations in their work: “the observational design limits the conclusions regarding the causal pathway of the association of steps with mortality”. In addition, some of the people who started the follow-up could not be included if they died before 2020 or if they did not measure their steps in that year, so there may be biases. In any case, the article supposes new evidence that joins a factor that is very clear: doing sports regularly throughout life has important benefits on our physical and mental health.
