Many
people regularly wear activity trackers, which count the number of steps taken
in a day. But it can be hard to make sense of what these numbers might mean for
overall health. Is it just the total number of steps in a day that matter, or
does
exercise intensity, such as going for a brisk walk or jog, make a
difference?
اضافة اعلان
In a new study
comparing activity tracker data from 78,500 people (the largest such study to
date), walking at a brisk pace for about 30 minutes a day led to a reduced risk
of heart disease, cancer, dementia, and premature death, compared with walking
a similar number of steps at a slower pace. The results were published in two
papers in the journals JAMA Internal Medicine and JAMA Neurology.
For the study,
which included participants from
UK Biobank, individuals of an average age of
61 agreed to wear activity trackers for seven full day, including nights.
“Activity tracker data is going to be better
than self-reported data,” said Dr Michael Fredericson, a sports physician at
Stanford University.
“We know that
people’s ability to self-report is flawed,” often because they do not
accurately remember how much exercise they performed in a day or week, he said.
After collecting
the study data, the researchers tracked participants’ health outcomes,
including whether they developed heart disease, cancer, or dementia, or died
during a period of six to eight years.
First, the
researchers found that every 2,000 steps per day lowered the risk of premature
death, heart disease, and cancer by about 10 percent, up to about 10,000 steps
per day. When it came to developing dementia, 9,800 steps per day was
associated with a 50 percent reduced risk, and 3,800 steps was associated with
about a 25 percent reduced risk. Not enough participants took over 10,000 daily
steps to determine whether there were additional benefits above that threshold.
These results
match those of previous studies showing that the benefits of walking start well
before the often-touted 10,000 steps per day.
Then, the
researchers study did something new. When they looked at the highest per-minute
step rate recorded during 30 minutes in a day, they found that participants
whose average highest pace was a brisk walk (between 80 and 100 steps per
minute) had better health outcomes compared with those who walked a similar
amount at a slower pace.
Brisk walkers had
a 35 percent lower risk of dying, a 25 percent lower chance of developing heart
disease or cancer and a 30 percent lower risk of developing dementia, compared
with those whose average pace was slower.
To put these
numbers into perspective, a person whose total daily steps include 2,400 to
3,000 “brisk steps” could see a sharp reduction in the risk for developing
heart disease, cancer, and dementia, even without taking many additional steps.
“It doesn’t have
to be a consecutive 30-minute session,” said Matthew Ahmadi, a research fellow
at the
University of Sydney and one of the study authors. “It can just be in
brief bursts here and there throughout your day.”
In terms of the
difference between brisk walking and jogging, there wasn’t enough data to
determine if one was better than the other, but both resulted in better overall
health outcomes than did a slower average pace.
A 2013 study
following 49,005 runners and walkers also suggested that brisk walking or
jogging for similar distances offer similar heart health benefits, even though
walking a mile takes longer.
The new study is
part of ongoing research into just how important exercise intensity is to
various health outcomes. The findings suggest that maintaining good health does
not necessarily require a lot of high-intensity exercise, and that a regular
amount of moderate-intensity exercise, such as brisk walking, can offer a high
level of protection against health complications.
When it comes to
incorporating more intense exercise into daily life, Dr Tamanna Singh, a
cardiologist at the
Cleveland Clinic, often reminds her patients that
everything is relative. “Everybody is starting from a different training
status,” she said.
A brisk pace for
one person may not be brisk for another, but what matters is the relative
effort. When it comes to brisk walking, “at these moderate levels of effort,
you are able to increase your aerobic capacity”, Singh said.
“That constant
slow stress on your body is what leads to fitness gains,” Singh said. “If
you’re just getting started, this is probably the easiest way to get started
and stay committed, consistent and injury-free.” In addition to the long-term
health benefits, intense walking could also lower blood pressure, moderate
blood sugar levels, and reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
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