New research shows that just 7,000 steps a day is associated with clinically meaningful improvements in health outcomes, including reductions in cardiovascular disease incidence and death – and offering a more realistic target than the previously touted 10,000 steps a day. The findings were published July 23 in Lancet Public Health.

Investigators Ding Ding, PhD, et al., conducted a systematic review of 57 studies from 35 cohorts and a meta-analysis of 31 studies from 34 cohorts, all examining the relationship between device-measured daily steps and health outcomes among adults.

Results showed that, compared with a low-activity lifestyle of 2,000 steps per day, 7,000 steps per day was associated with a 25% lower risk of cardiovascular disease incidence (I²=38.3%; six studies), a 47% lower risk of cardiovascular disease mortality (I²=78.2%; three studies) and a 47% lower risk of all-cause mortality (I²=36.3%; 14 studies).

For cardiovascular disease incidence, investigators pulled data from nine studies featuring 111,349 participants. They observed an inverse nonlinear dose-response relationship between steps per day and cardiovascular disease incidence with an inflection point of 7,802 steps. While this inflection point stayed the same for younger adults in an age-based subanalysis, it shifted to about 5,400 steps for older adults.

For cardiovascular disease mortality, investigators analyzed seven studies totaling 120,758 participants. They found an inverse nonlinear association with an inflection point of about 5,500 steps.

The study found similar inverse nonlinear dose-response associations with all-cause mortality, dementia and falls, and inverse liner associations for cancer incidence, cancer mortality, type 2 diabetes incidence and depressive symptoms. After 7,000 steps, risk plateaued for some health outcomes, including cardiovascular disease mortality.

While even modest daily step counts were associated with better health outcomes, the investigators write, "Approximately 7,000 steps per day was associated with risk reductions for all outcomes examined and might serve as a practical quantitative public health target."