Tags: step | daily | walking | longevity

Smart Steps That Can Add Years to Your Life

Smart Steps That Can Add Years to Your Life
(Copyright DPC)

By    |   Tuesday, 17 November 2015 10:07 AM EST

Scientists have proved in breakthrough new research that there are simple steps that Americans can take today to improve their health and dramatically reduce risks of illness and death — 10,000 of them, in fact.

Researchers with Oxford University found that sedentary individuals who increase the number of steps they take daily — from 1,000 to 10,000 — cut their risk of early death nearly in half.

What’s more, the study showed those added steps don’t require spending hours in a health club, but can be incorporated into everyday life — such taking the stairs instead of the elevator, walking a pet, taking a daily stroll through your neighborhood, or going for a walk on your lunch hour.

The 15-year study monitored 3,000 men and women who had an average age of 58.8 years old when the research began.

“Participants used pedometers and data was collected at the beginning and every five years to measure the number of steps they took each day,” said lead researcher Dr. Terry Dwyer, professor of epidemiology at Britain’s prestigious Oxford University.

Dwyer, a prominent medical researcher, is also executive director of the university-linked George Institute for Global Health at Oxford.

The Australian-born doctor, who worked at major research institutions in his native country, revealed previous studies on the topic were based on volunteers answering questionnaires, with recollections increasing chances of inaccuracy.

“But these results are more robust and give us greater confidence that we can prevent death from major disease by being more active,” he observed. “This study should greatly encourage individuals to ensure they do regular exercise.”

The results of the research were published in a recent issue of the Public Library of Science journal, PLOS ONE. Among the key:

● A sedentary person who increased his or her steps from 1,000 or fewer to 10,000 daily had a 46 percent lower risk of death from all causes than other people.

● Even less effort helps. A sedentary person who increased his or her steps to just 3,000 daily, five days a week, was 12 percent less likely to die from disease. 

Researchers measured how many volunteers died of disease over the study’s long time-frame. The highest number, by far, was among people walking the least — with death rates plunging as the number of steps went up.

The scientists’ inescapable conclusion: Walking often means you’ll live longer and be free of disease.

“Exercise should now be seen as a potential means of increasing longevity,” Dwyer said. “We know, through this research, that daily step count is inversely associated with all-cause mortality.

“People who increase their daily steps appear to have a substantial reduction in mortality risk.  

“Pedometers and activity devices are growing in popularity so the ability to measure and realize the benefits of exercise are at everyone’s fingertips and we should all take advantage.”

Sydney resident David Morgan knows first-hand the benefits of getting off the couch and walking every day.

Morgan was told by doctors he needed to lose 45 pounds from his burly 200-pound frame before a lifesaving double lung transplant would be performed. The 48 year-old suffered from underdeveloped lungs, a condition called bronchopulmonary dysplasia, as well as severe allergic asthma. He had a woeful history of severe breathing difficulties.

“When you stop breathing it's terrifying,” he explained. “It feels like someone is strangling you.”

Following doctors’ orders but extremely nervous at first, Morgan started walking to lose weight. His daily walks along streets and through parks became routine — until he’d shed the required weight. Feeling much better, he made a medical appointment.  

The surgeon who would have performed the transplant told Morgan he no longer needed surgery. His lungs were now functioning normally.

“I couldn’t believe it,” recalled Morgan, who has kept to his daily walking regimen.

As Oxford’s Dwyer pointed out: “Inactivity is a major public health problem costing tens of billions of dollars every year.”

However, his study proving the value of walking “shows more clearly than ever before that the total amount of activity also affects life expectancy.”

© 2025 NewsmaxHealth. All rights reserved.


Anti-Aging
New research shows taking one simple step — actually, make that 10,000 steps — can add years to your life. Increasing your walking to that many steps daily lowers your risk of early death by a whopping 46 percent. Here's how.
step, daily, walking, longevity
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2015-07-17
Tuesday, 17 November 2015 10:07 AM
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