Pace as important as 10,000 steps for health

Walking 10,000 steps a day lowers the risk of disease and death, but the speed at which one walks is equally important according to the new research.

Million of health concerned people walk 10,000 steps on a daily basis to reduce the chances of serious health problems. But, the speed at which one walks is important too.

The researchers from different universities found that lowered risk of diseases are associated with achieving 10,000 steps a day. However, "power walk" showed additional benefits beyond the number of steps achieved.

 The co-lead author Associate Professor Borja del Pozo Cruz from the University of Southern Denmark said "For less active individuals, our study also demonstrates that as low as 3,800 steps a day can cut the risk of dementia by 25 percent". According to the senior author Emmanuel Stamatakis, Professor of Physical Activity, Lifestyle and Population Health at the University of Sydney people rarely tend to think about pace of the steps.

The studies are published in JAMA Internal Medicine and JAMA Neurology. The study counted data from 78,500 UK adults aged from 40 to 79 years. The individuals wore wrist accelerometer to measure the activity in terms of physical way over 7 days span. Dr Matthew Ahmadi said "The size and scope of these studies using wrist-worn trackers makes it the most robust evidence to date suggesting that 10,000 steps a day is the sweet spot for health benefits and walking faster is associated with additional benefits".

 The research mainly explained that the faster pace showed beneficial associations for all health associated issues such as dementia, heart disease, cancer.

Thus, concentrating on the associates with the research the pace of walking is the key for additional health benefits.