What’s the magic number of steps to lose weight? Here’s a new study

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Walking 8,600 steps a day can prevent weight gain in adults, but for already overweight adults, an extra 2,400 steps can cut their odds of becoming obese in half, according to a new study. . That’s 11,000 steps a day.

the study The average person gains 1 to 2 pounds (0.5 to 1 kilogram) of weight each year from young adulthood to middle age, indicating a gradual unhealthy weight and even obesity over time. increase.

Study author Evan Britten, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, said:

New research has also discovered important benefits for chronic diseases and conditions.

“The relationship between hypertension and diabetes plateaued at about 8,000 to 9,000 steps, but was linear for other steps, meaning risk continued to decrease with increasing number of steps,” he said. Told. “The takeaway message is that more steps are better.”

This is another study that shows the powerful effects of walking and other forms of exercise on our health. In fact, getting up and moving for 21.43 minutes each day cuts her risk of dying from any cause by a third. U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

At the present time Physical activity recommendations For adults, do 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise, such as brisk walking, dancing, biking, doubles tennis, or water aerobics, and 2 days of strength training. weekly activity.

“Physical activity is just wonderful,” says Dr. Andrew Freeman, Director of Cardiovascular Prevention and Health He told CNN in an earlier interview at the National Jewish Health in Denver.

“And when you combine that with a more plant-based diet, de-stressing, getting enough sleep, and connecting with others, that’s your recipe for magic,” Freeman said. It’s a spring.”

This study analyzed activity and health data from more than 6,000 participants at the National Institutes of Health over an average of four years. All of Us Research Programis dedicated to research on how to develop personalized healthcare.

study participants, Published Monday in the journal Nature Medicinewearing activity trackers for more than 10 hours a day, has given researchers access to electronic health records for years.

“Our study involved continuous activity monitoring for an average of 4 years, so we were able to account for the full range of activity from the time monitoring began until the disease was diagnosed.” This is a great advantage because, unlike all previous studies, we do not have to make assumptions about activity over time.”

People who participated in the study ranged in age from 41 to 67 years and had BMI levels from 24.3, considered a healthy weight range, to 32.9, considered obese.

Researchers found that people who walked four miles (about 8,200 steps) a day were less likely to be obese and less likely to suffer from sleep apnea, acid reflux, and major depressive disorder. sleep apnea When acid reflux Although it responds well to weight loss and can relieve pressure on the throat and stomach, exercise is the underlying treatment for patients. depression.

The study also found that overweight participants (those with a BMI between 25 and 29) halved their risk of becoming obese when they increased their steps to 11,000 steps per day. In fact, the study found that “this step increase reduced the cumulative incidence of obesity by 50% over five years.”

Applying this data to a specific example, a person with a BMI of 28 could reduce their risk of obesity by 64% by increasing their daily steps from about 6,000 to 11,000 steps, the authors say. .

The new study mirrors the results of a recent study in Spain, where researchers found health benefits increased with every step, until about 10,000 steps, when the benefits began to wear off. Counting is especially important for people who engage in unstructured and unplanned physical activity, such as housework, gardening, or walking the dog.

“In particular, we detected an association between incidental steps (steps taken to lead a normal life) and reduced risk of both cancer and heart disease,” said co-author of the study. said one Borja del Pozo Cruz. told CNN in an earlier interviewDel Pozo Cruz is Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Southern Denmark in Odense and Senior Research Fellow in Health Sciences at the University of Cadiz, Spain.

The same research team recently published a similar study If you walk 10,000 steps a day 50% risk of dementia; risk A 25% reduction in just 3,800 steps a day.

However, walking for 30 minutes at a brisk pace of 112 steps per minute was associated with the greatest risk, with a 62% reduction in the risk of dementia. 30 minutes of fast-paced walking doesn’t have to be done all at once, but can be done over the course of the day.

Researchers found that the association between peak 30-minute steps and risk reduction depended on the disease studied. Dementia decreased him by 62%, cardiovascular disease and death decreased by 80%, and cancer risk decreased by about 20%. .

A new study also found an association between step count and health benefits, but “the relationship wasn’t as consistent as step count,” the researchers said.

A major limitation of all studies using pedometers is that people who wear pedometers tend to be more active and healthier than normal, the researchers said. “However, the fact that we were able to detect a strong association between steps and onset illness in this active sample suggests that stronger associations may exist in more sedentary populations. increase.