People who walk longer distances have a lower risk of heart problems than those who walk shorter distances, suggests a new study cited by the BBC, which analyzed the activity of tens of thousands of adults.
A long walk a day is better for the heart than several short walks, especially if we don't exercise much, according to a new study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Ideally, we should walk for at least 15 minutes without stopping, the study says. That's about 1,500 consecutive steps, which gives the heart a good workout.
Many people aim to take 10,000 steps a day, but this number comes from a Japanese advertisement for pedometers, not science, writes the BBC. However, experts agree that more steps are generally better for health.
The study looked at 33,560 adults aged 40 to 79 in the UK who took fewer than 8,000 steps a day.
They were grouped according to the duration of their walks (measured with a pedometer over the course of a week):
- less than 5 minutes (43%)
- 5-10 minutes (33.5%)
- 10-15 minutes (15.5%)
- 15 minutes or more (8%)
Researchers from the University of Sydney and the Universidad Europea in Spain monitored the participants' health over a period of eight years.
People who walked longer distances had a lower risk of heart problems than those who walked short distances.
Even among the least active—those who walked less than 5,000 steps a day—longer walks made a big difference. The risk of heart disease and death decreased significantly.
It's not clear from the study whether this was because they were already fitter at the start, but the researchers tried to control for this by taking into account factors such as smoking, obesity or high cholesterol.
Researchers say how we walk is also important, not just how much. They suggest that simple lifestyle changes, such as making time for a longer walk, could make a big difference.
“We tend to focus on the number of steps or the total distance traveled, but we neglect the crucial role of patterns, for example how one walks,” said co-lead researcher Professor Emmanuel Stamatakis, quoted by the BBC.
“This study shows that even people who are very physically inactive can maximize the heart health benefits by changing their walking habits so that they walk for longer, ideally at least 10-15 minutes when possible,” he added.
Professor Kevin McConway, emeritus professor of applied statistics at the Open University, said that while the study shows a link between walking and better heart health, it does not prove that walking directly causes the improvement.
UK health experts quoted by the BBC recommend 150 minutes of moderate activity per week, such as brisk walking, ideally spread evenly throughout the week.
People over 65 should try to move every day, even if it's just light activities around the house, the recommendations say.
“Exercise helps everyone live a happier and healthier life. If you have heart and circulatory disease, exercise can help you manage your condition and feel better overall,” said Emily McGrath, cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation.
“At first, it might be hard for you to be more active, but over time it will get easier as your body gets used to the activity. You might only see small improvements at first, but it all adds up and helps keep your heart healthy,” she said.
