Exactly how many steps you need to take each day to ‘slash your risk of early death’ – and it’s way below 10k

WALKING just 4,000 steps a day can reduce your risk of an early death, a study shows.

Increasing that to 10,000 daily slashed the chances by 39 per cent and offset the effects of being a couch potato the rest of the time, data from more than 72,000 Brits revealed.

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Australian researchers said the findings could help lead to the “first generation of stepping-based” guidelines for people who spend most of their time sitting behind a desk. 

Dr Matthew Ahmadi, of the University of Sydney, said: “The minimal dose of daily steps was between 4,000 and 4,500 steps per day across sedentary time groups.

“Any amount of daily steps above the referent 2,200 steps per day was associated with lower mortality and incident heart disease risk.”

Around 7.6million Brits live with a heart or circulatory disease currently and the conditions cause a quarter of all deaths in the country.

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High blood pressure and cholesterol, smoking, diabetes, being overweight and not exercising enough all increase the risk.

The NHS recommends Brits do some type of physical activity every day and strength training at least twice a week.

They should try and do two-and-a-half hours of moderate intensity activity — like brisk walking — a week, according to the guidelines.

Previous research shows walking 6,000 to 9,000 steps a day reduces the risk of heart disease by up to 50 per cent compared to walking just 2,000.

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The latest study, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, looked at how walking impacts the risk depending on how active people are in general.

Researchers tracked 72,174 adults aged 61 on average in the UK who had worn devices on their wrist measuring activity levels for a week.

People walked 6,222 steps a day on average and spent 10.5 hours being inactive.

The lowest risk of early death was among people who took 9,000 to 10,500 steps per day.

Every single step towards making it to 10,000 steps a day counts to reducing risk of death and heart disease

Julie WardBritish Heart Foundation

When it came to avoiding stroke and heart attack, the lowest risks were in people taking around 9,700 steps a day.

Overall, taking 9,000 to 10,500 steps per day cut the risk of a heart attack or stroke by 21 per cent.

Julie Ward, of the British Heart Foundation, said of the studies: "Daily physical activity is essential to reduce your risk of developing heart conditions and your risk of stroke.

"This hopeful new study shows us that every single step towards making it to 10,000 steps a day counts to reducing risk of death and heart disease. 

"We encourage everyone to stay active for their heart and circulatory health by doing 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week.”