Older women who walk at least this many steps a week live longer: study

They are also less likely to develop heart disease, say scientists.

The study, published online by the British Journal of Sports Medicine, examined not only how many steps older women take but how often they reach their daily step targets across the week.

American researchers found that those who took 4,000 steps on one or two days per week had a 27% reduction in the risk of cardiovascular disease and 26% reduction in risk of death compared to those who completed fewer steps.

The study also found that the number of steps taken, rather than any daily pattern of steps, was tied to the risk reductions.

Tracking daily steps has become a standard exercise measurement for many people as many smart devices keep count with ease.

Doctors say the physical activity stimulates bodily repair and maintenance, which is especially important as people get older.

Researchers at Mass General Brigham, an integrated health care system based in the Boston area of Massachusetts, examined 13,547 older women with an average age of 71.8 years old.

The team compared their step counts over a one week period against their mortality and cardiovascular disease rates over the next decade.

The findings showed that achieving just 4,000 steps one or two days per week was associated with lower risk of mortality and cardiovascular disease, and with more steps came even greater benefits, up to a point when risk reductions levelled.

Study senior author Professor I-Min Lee said: "Advances in technology have made it such that we don’t really move very much, and older individuals are among those least active.

“Because of today’s low step counts, it’s increasingly important to determine the minimum amount of physical activity required to improve health outcomes, so that we can offer realistic and feasible goals for the public.”

The participants wore ActiGraph GT3X+ accelerometers to track their steps over seven days between 2011 and 2015.

For the next 10 years, the researchers monitored deaths and cases of cardiovascular disease among the group.

The participants were sorted by how many days per week they achieved step thresholds at or above 4,000, 5,000, 6,000, or 7,000.

Those who reached 4,000 steps one or two days per week had a 26% lower mortality risk and 27% lower cardiovascular disease risk compared to those who never hit 4,000 on any day.

Reaching 4,000 steps three or more days in a week decreased mortality risk further to 40%.

Among women who reached the higher step thresholds, cardiovascular disease risk levelled out.

The researchers noted that the health benefits seem to be associated with the total volume of steps taken, rather than how many days per week a particular threshold was achieved.

They say that suggests that there isn’t a “better” way to get steps - women with similar total volume of steps, either achieved by consistent steps throughout the week or sporadic steps in just a few days, had similar health benefits.

The researchers now want to analyze even lower step count thresholds to determine whether less than 4,000 steps can produce similar health benefits.

Study lead author Dr. Rikuta Hamaya said: “I hope our findings encourage the addition of step count metrics to physical activity guidelines."

He added: “If we can promote taking at least 4,000 steps once per week in older women, we could reduce mortality and cardiovascular disease risk across the country.”