NEW YORK – Many of us regularly carry an activity tracker, which counts the number of steps we take each day. From these figures, it can be difficult to understand what they may mean for our overall health. Does it only matter the total number of steps in a day, or does the intensity of the exercise, such as going for a brisk walk or jogging, make a difference?
In a new study, looking at activity tracker data from 78,500 people, brisk walking for about 30 minutes a day reduced the risk of heart disease, cancer, dementia and death, compared to walking a similar number of steps but at a slower pace. These results were recently published in two articles in the journals JAMA Internal Medicine y JAMA Neurology.
For these studies, which included participants from the UK Biobank, with an average age of 61 years, agreed to wear activity trackers for seven full days, including nights, at the start of the trial. This study represents the largest to date incorporating data from activity trackers.
“Activity tracker data is going to be better than self-reported data,” said Michael Fredericson, a sports physician at Stanford University, who was not involved in the study. “We know that people’s ability to self-report is flawed,” often because they don’t accurately remember how much exercise they got in a day or week.
After collecting this data, the researchers tracked the participants’ health outcomes, including whether they developed heart disease, cancer, dementia, or died over a period of six to eight years.
The researchers discovered that every additional 2,000 steps a day reduced the risk of premature death, heart disease and cancer by about 10 percent, down to about 10,000 steps a day. For developing dementia, 9,800 steps a day was associated with a 50 percent risk reduction, with a 25 percent risk reduction from about 3,800 steps a day. Above 10,000 steps per day, there were not enough participants with that level of activity to determine if there were additional benefits.
In the past, similar studies have also shown that the benefits of walking start well before the 10,000 steps a day that is often promoted.
But the researchers in this study did something new. When they looked at the rate of steps, per minute, of the highest 30 minutes of activity per day, found that participants whose highest average pace was brisk walking (between 80 and 100 steps per minute) had better health outcomes compared to those who walked a similar amount each day but at a slower pace.
The 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 faster. slow.
To put these numbers into perspective, a person whose daily step total includes between 2,400 and 3,000 that are brisk walks could see a sharp reduction in risk of developing heart disease, cancer, and dementia, even without taking many extra steps beyond the total number daily.
“It doesn’t have to be a consecutive 30-minute session,” said Matthew Ahmadi, a researcher at the University of Sydney and one of the studies’ authors. “It can just be in short bursts here and there throughout the day.”
But the important thing is to try walk a little faster than your usual pace. As for the differences between brisk walking and jogging, there was not enough data to determine whether one was better than the other, and both led to better overall health outcomes than a slower average pace. Even so, a 2013 study followed 49,005 runners and walkers and suggested that brisk walking or jogging similar distances offer similar benefits for heart health, although walking a kilometer takes longer.
This study is part of ongoing research on the importance of exercise intensity for various health outcomes. These latest findings suggest that maintaining good health does not necessarily require a great deal of high-intensity exercise and that a regular amount of moderate-intensity exercise, such as brisk walking, may offer a high level of protection against the development of conditions such as such as heart disease, cancer or dementia.
When it comes to incorporating more intense exercise into daily life, Tamanna Singh, a cardiologist at the Cleveland Clinic, often reminds her patients that it’s all relative. “Everyone starts from a different training state,” she said.
A fast pace for one person may not be fast for another, but it’s the relative effort that matters. At a light exercise intensity, a person can sing a song, while at a moderate intensity, a person can easily carry on a conversation, but would have a hard time singing. At higher intensities, conversation becomes difficult, if not impossible.
When it comes to brisk walking, “at these moderate levels of exertion, you can increase your aerobic capacity,” Singh said. In addition to the long-term health benefits, this intensity would also reduce the blood pressure, moderate blood sugar levels y lower the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
The key is to walk at an intensity that is manageable, yet slightly outside the limits of what is a comfortable pace.
“That slow, steady effort in the body is what makes you physically fit,” Singh said. “If you’re just starting out, this is probably the easiest way to get started and stay committed, consistent and injury-free.”
By Rachel Fairbank