Walking faster may help make up for a lower daily step count, according to a new observational study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. Researchers from the University of Sydney and Monash University’s Turner Institute analyzed wrist-worn activity tracker data from about 65,000 UK Biobank participants, with a median follow-up of eight years.
Compared with the least active group, people who took fewer than 5,000 steps a day but reached a pace of about 80 steps per minute during their briskest half-hour had a 28% lower risk of death from any cause during follow-up, similar to those taking 5,000 to 7,500 steps at a slower pace. The lowest risk appeared among people taking 7,500 to 10,000 steps at around 100 steps per minute.
The authors suggest sustaining 90 to 100 steps per minute for 30 minutes a day “may be a promising target.” Because the study was observational, it shows an association rather than cause and effect.