Research that monitored 3,000 Australians over 15 years shows sedentary people who increase number of steps have significantly reduced mortality

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

Increasing the daily number of steps a person takes is linked to living longer, new research shows.

The study by the George Institute for Global Health and the Menzies Research Institute in Tasmania, published in the PLOS ONE journal, monitored 3,000 Australians over 15 years.

Each participant, with an average age of almost 59 at the start of the study, was given a pedometer to measure the number of steps they took daily, study author Professor Terry Dwyer said.

A sedentary person who increased his or her steps from 1,000 to 10,000 a day, seven days a week, was found to have a 46% lower mortality risk. If increased to 3,000 a day five days a week, the person had a 12% lower risk.

The association between daily steps and mortality was largely independent of factors such as Body Mass Index and smoking, Dwyer said.

Previous studies have measured physical activity by questionnaire only. Dwyer said this study was the first to use pedometers to make the link between exercise and reduced mortality over time in people who appeared healthy at the outset.

“Exercise should now be seen as a potential means of increasing longevity,” he 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 realise the benefits of exercise are at everyone’s fingertips and we should all take advantage.”