What is the scientific basis of 10,000 steps a day?

What is the scientific basis of 10,000 steps a day?

ഒരു ദിവസം 10,000 ചുവടുകൾ എന്നതിന്റെ ശാസ്ത്രീയ അടിസ്ഥാനം എന്താണ്?

एक दिन में 10,000 कदम चलने का वैज्ञानिक आधार क्या है?

It is often suggested that you should take 10,000 steps a day, seven days a week as part of your fitness program. Actually, the number of steps need not assess the amount of walking you do. The distance walked will depend on your stride length. Anyway, the concept of 10,000 steps a day is quite popular and many use pedometers to track the daily step count and often post it on social media to encourage others.

Thought of just looking at the scientific data on the utility of 10,000 steps a day. One study from Japan, published in 1990 evaluated obese middle aged persons. They used both 10,000 walk steps/day and diet restricted to 1500 Kcal/day for 4 months. It was found that body weight, skinfold thickness, blood pressure and blood levels of fat improved significantly during the program. There was a significant correlation between the daily number of walk steps and the improvement in bodyweight, diastolic blood pressure and HDL cholesterol. Diastolic blood pressure is the blood pressure when the heart relaxes after contraction. HDL or high density lipoprotein cholesterol is the good cholesterol which transports fat from blood vessels to liver for removal.

Another report from the same group, published in 1995 investigated the relation between body weight reduction and some complications associated with obesity. The study involved 248 middle aged subjects, predominantly female, who participated in a weight reduction program from 1983 to 1990. The program consisted of 1500 Kcal/day diet and exercise in the form of 10,000 walk steps a day. Mean body weight reduction after the five month program was 5 Kg. Blood pressure, total cholesterol and triglyceride decreased significantly while HDL cholesterol was slightly increased. Triglyceride is another type of fat found in the blood.

In 2021, an article analyzed 16 previously published studies. Such a study on studies is called a meta-analysis. 12 studies had reported all cause death, 5 on heart disease events and one containing information on both. They found a relationship between step count and risk of total mortality and heart disease events. When they restricted the analysis to accelerometer based studies, those with  about 9000 steps a day had about 40% lower risk of all cause death. In case of heart disease events, 35% lower risk was noted when the step count was about 9500 steps a day.

A version of this article for medical professionals with journal references is available at: https://johnsonfrancis.org/professional/what-is-the-scientific-basis-of-10000-steps-a-day/