Lessons from a British study on the benefits of walking

British researchers suggest a 2 to 3 year increase in life expectancy for people who walk. According to a study by the London School of Economics, at least 5,000 steps three times a week would be beneficial.

Do you really need to walk 10,000 steps a day? This belief is regularly deconstructed. However, the benefits of walking are often highlighted. A new British study from the London School of Economics, cited by the Telegraph, provides additional lessons on the beneficial effects of the practice.

Its key takeaway: Regular walking increases life expectancy by 2.5 years for sedentary men and 3 years for inactive women. Physical activity will mechanically reduce the risk of developing diseases, especially cardiovascular diseases.

The study, which aimed to measure the impact of daily exercise on British health services finances, was conducted on one million people over 10 years.

7,500, the optimal number of steps

The experts were able to arrive at an optimal number of 7,500 steps based on four walks per week. This threshold – lower than popular belief – would make it possible to achieve optimal marginal benefit, i.e. the greatest beneficial effect for the least number of measures.

“By increasing the number of steps per day, the mortality rate gradually decreases before stabilizing at about 7,500 steps per day,” one study also concluded. Harvard Medical School Published in May 2019.

A course to modify by age

Setting a specific move goal is not the ideal approach, in most cases the goal should primarily be to move more.

“In France, more than a third of adults have a sedentary lifestyle and insufficient physical activity,” lamented the National Food Safety Agency (ANSES) in its February 2022 report.

A meta-analysis, published in Lancet, compiled the texts of 15 international studies, suggesting a different optimal number of cases depending on age. Before age 60, you should aim for 8,000 to 10,000 steps per day, then 6,000 to 8,000 after age sixty.

Intensity of walking is also a determining factor. “You have to practice walking vigorously, on the edge of shortness of breath,” doctor Alain Ducardonet told BFMTV last August.

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