Khaberni - In a prospective population-based study conducted on physically active individuals who walk on average less than 8,000 steps per day, it was revealed that those who walk their daily steps over longer periods were less prone to death and cardiovascular diseases compared to those who walk over shorter intervals.
The study evaluated the pattern of walking and its impact on the risk of death and cardiovascular disease, regardless of the total number of steps.
By examining data from more than 33,000 individuals from the British Biobank records, who walk 8,000 steps per day or less, participants were divided into 4 categories.
The first category: less than 5 minutes of walking per interval, the second: from 5 to less than 10 minutes, the third: from 10 to less than 15 minutes, and the fourth: 15 minutes or more.
Walking distances and risk of death
According to "Medical Express", the risk of death from all causes after 9.5 years was 4.36% among participants who accumulated most of their steps in bouts shorter than 5 minutes, and the risk decreased to 1.83% for those who walked intervals between 5 and 10 minutes, and to 0.84% for those who walked intervals lasting between 10 and 15 minutes, and 0.80% for those whose walking intervals lasted more than 15 minutes.
Walking and cardiovascular diseases
These risks were more pronounced for cardiovascular diseases, where the cumulative risk of developing heart diseases for participants who walked intervals shorter than 5 minutes was 13.03% after 9.5 years, compared to 11.09% for intervals between 5 and 10 minutes, 7.71% for intervals between 10 and 15 minutes, and 4.39% for 15 minutes or more.
For the inactive participants, who had an average daily steps less than 5,000, researchers noted a clearer association between longer walking intervals and reduced risk of death and cardiovascular diseases.
These findings help provide physical activity recommendations for individuals—especially those tending toward inactivity—to incorporate longer, purposeful walking sessions into their daily routine to improve health outcomes.
