7,000 Steps Daily May Lower Risk of Death, Cancer, and Dementia: Study
New Delhi: A new study published in The Lancet Public Health has found that walking 7,000 steps a day is linked to a lower risk of several chronic health conditions and premature death. The research suggests that this more achievable daily step target can offer meaningful health benefits for a wide range of people.
The study reviewed data from 57 studies involving more than 160,000 adults. It found that walking approximately 7,000 steps per day was associated with a 25% reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, 14% lower risk of type 2 diabetes, 6% reduction in cancer risk, 22% lower risk of depression, and 38% reduced risk of dementia. The risk of falls decreased by 28%, and all-cause mortality dropped by nearly 50% for those walking 7,000 steps daily.
While 10,000 steps per day is often promoted as the standard goal, the study highlighted that 7,000 steps may be more practical, especially for people who are less physically active.
“Although 10,000 steps per day can still be a viable target for those who are more active, 7,000 steps per day is associated with clinically meaningful improvements in health outcomes and might be a more realistic and achievable target for some,” said corresponding author Prof Ding Ding from The Charles Perkins Centre at The University of Sydney in Australia.
The study also reported that even 4,000 steps per day were linked to better health outcomes when compared to 2,000 steps. For some conditions, such as heart disease, additional benefits continued beyond 7,000 steps. For most other conditions, the health advantages appeared to level off at that point.
The research team noted some limitations, such as a smaller number of studies focused on cancer and dementia, a lack of age-specific analysis, and potential biases in the original studies reviewed.
Researchers believe these findings could help shape public health guidelines by promoting step counts as an easy and accessible way to measure and encourage physical activity.
(With inputs from IANS)
Jyoti Kumari joined Medical Dialogues in 2025 as a Journalism Intern. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Mass Communication from the Delhi School of Journalism, University of Delhi. She is passionate about news reporting, content creation, social media, and emerging media trends.