It may be more important to walk at a certain pace for a healthy life than to count the steps!👟

Experts recommend walking 10,000 steps a day to maintain general health, but a recent study indicates that the pace of walking may be more important than the number of steps.

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The study says that those who practice brisk walking, where the walking speed exceeds 6 km per hour, are less likely to die from cancer or have a heart attack. While walking slowly may mean you are more at risk of premature death.

Researchers from the University of Leicester found that people were more likely to die from heart attacks, cancer or other causes within 10 years if they walked at a slower pace.

Dr Jonathan Goldney, from the University of Leicester, said: “We encourage walkers to increase their pace wherever possible, as this may just improve their life expectancy. There are also many other benefits to physical activity, as previous research has shown. Doctors should consider asking their patients how fast they walk, as it turns out this can tell them a lot about their risk of death, which may guide the use of strategies to prevent premature death and disease."

Researchers from the University of Leicester monitored 391,652 people, aged between 38 and 73, included in the UK Biobank.

Participants reported their walking pace as “slow” (below 4 km/h), “steady/moderate” (4-6 km/h) or “fast” (above 6 km/h).

Only 6.6% said they walked slowly, while 52.6% reported moderate walking, and 40.8% reported walking at a fast pace.

Participants were followed for an average of 13 years, and 22,000 deaths were recorded during this period.

The results showed that women who walked at a fast pace were 26% less likely to die from cancer, and men faced a 29% lower risk, compared to those who walked slowly.

The fast-paced women experienced a 60% reduction in the risk of death from cardiovascular disease. As for men, the percentage reached 62%.

The researchers found that the probability of premature death in both sexes from other causes, such as dementia and respiratory diseases, decreases by 71% when walking quickly, according to the data.

Source: The Sun - Publication date: 10/18/2023