University of Sydney study links increased walking to lower heart risks

Research from the University of Sydney and studies published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology and the British Journal of Sports Medicine indicate that increasing daily walking activity can significantly reduce cardiovascular risks.

One study involving over 36,000 individuals aged 50 and older found that adding just 1,000 steps to a daily routine can reduce the risk of serious heart problems by approximately 17%. Specifically, the risk of stroke decreased by 25%, heart failure by 22%, and heart attack by 9%. These benefits were observed regardless of the starting number of steps, though benefits tended to stabilize at around 10,000 steps.

Additional findings suggest that walking pace is a critical factor. For those unable to reach high step counts, increasing walking speed—defined as at least 80 steps per minute—can partially compensate for lower step totals. For individuals taking fewer than 5,000 steps daily, a faster pace was associated with a 36% reduction in the risk of premature death from any cause.