If you are confused, you have my full understanding. We have heard a lot about this topic before. “It takes less than 10,000 daily steps to improve your health” “Don’t worry about steps – but about minutes” What should you consider? American scientists have now taken a big step to make us a notch wiser. Analyzed more than four years of data The new, large study from the USA is the first of its kind. Because the data comes from the “real world”. That is, via wearable devices from the Fitbit brand, which more than 6,000 Americans have used for four or more years. And now the results have been analysed. Among other things, the researchers have found that the number of steps taken during a day can be of great importance in preventing chronic diseases. Including obesity, high blood pressure, depression, sleep apnea and some forms of diabetes. Although previous studies have also shown much of the same, this research is based on activity meters used in daily life. The meters were also directly linked to the participants’ electronic health records. So how many steps do we really need to improve our health? A magic number? The participants’ daily steps and intensity level were checked against the occurrence of diseases. Both in the group, but also towards the general population. The results showed that as the number of steps increased, the risk for most conditions decreased. Around 8,200 steps or more appears to be the best for reducing the risk of obesity, sleep apnea and major depressive disorder, among other things. The researchers also found that people who increased their daily steps from 6,000 to 11,000 had about a 64 percent lower risk of becoming obese compared to those who did not increase their daily steps. Although these statistics do not show a direct cause-and-effect relationship, the association is strong enough to indicate that taking more steps daily can reduce the risk of disease, according to the researchers. – Health benefits in every step Linda Hildegard Bergersen is professor of physiology at the University of Oslo. Among other things, she researches ageing. She gives the new study the thumbs up. – There is a greater chance of dying early if you are inactive. This increases the risk of a number of diseases. Then there is a way to counteract this, she says to news. The professor believes there are health benefits in every step we take. – The more, the better. It’s just a matter of getting to work and running to meetings on foot. Meeting friends can also be done by going for a walk. Put your mobile phone in your pocket, is the recommendation from Hildegard Bergersen. Linda Hildegard Bergersen is a professor of physiology and an expert on physical activity and brain health. She strongly advises people to take their daily steps seriously. Increased motivation The participants were aged 41–64. They had different body sizes, but the vast majority were white women. 71 percent also had higher education. This may have had an impact on the result, but the researchers point out that it can also be positive. – The fact that we have managed to find robust associations in such a group, which is perhaps a bit more active, suggests that you can perhaps find even greater results in a more sedentary population, they write in the study. They now want to expand their investigations in the future. The researchers hope that the findings can encourage people to exercise more. That you will find motivation in being able to measure and track your own efforts in the knowledge that it can make a big difference.
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The number of daily steps helps to reduce the risk of chronic diseases, shows a new study from the USA – news Trøndelag
