Walking is a very healthy exercise that can be done at any stage of life and numerous scientific studies seek to determine the exact number of steps we should take daily to obtain maximum benefits, although this depends on factors such as age, work activity or other daily tasks, physical condition, etc. Now, a new study has evaluated the amount of beneficial physical activity for those over 60 years of age and has concluded that it is not necessary to reach 10,000 steps a day.
The research has been carried out by scientists from the University of Buffalo (UB) (United States) who have analyzed 5,951 women between 63 and 99 years old and have verified that, on average, walking 3,600 steps per day at a normal pace was associated with a 26% lower risk of developing heart failure. The findings have been published in JAMA Cardiology.
The Women’s Health Initiative observational study looked at physical activity, sedentary time, and heart failure risk measured with an accelerometer. During a mean follow-up of 7.5 years, 407 cases of heart failure confirmed by doctors were detected. The risk of developing heart failure was, on average, 12% and 16% lower for every 70 minutes a day spent in light-intensity activities and every 30 minutes a day spent in moderate-to-vigorous-intensity activities, respectively, while every hour and a half of sedentary time was associated, on average, with a 17% higher risk of heart failure.
“In ambulatory older women, a greater amount of light and moderate-intensity daily activities were associated with a lower risk of developing heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, independently of demographic and clinical factors associated with heart failure risk,” he said. said the study’s lead author, Michael J. LaMonte, research professor of epidemiology and environmental health in the School of Public Health and Health Professions. “Accumulating 3,000 steps per day could be a reasonable goal that would be consistent with the amount of daily activity performed by the women in this study.”
Physical activity as primary prevention of heart failure
Study participants wore an accelerometer on their hip for up to seven consecutive days, except when they were in water. Light physical activity included regular daily activities such as personal care, housework, and caring for people, while moderate to vigorous activity involved walking at a normal pace, climbing stairs, or gardening.
The study is unique because it looked at two subtypes of heart failure, the most common of which is heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). For HFpEF, a similar pattern was observed of lower risk with lighter and more moderate intensity daily activity, and higher risk with prolonged sedentary time.
“HFpEF is the most common form of heart failure seen in older women and among racial and ethnic minority groups, and there are currently few established treatment options, making primary prevention even more relevant for HF.” -FEc. The possibility that light activities of daily living contribute to the prevention of HFpEF in older women is an interesting and promising result that future studies will evaluate in other groups, including older men,” adds LaMonte.
The risk of heart failure and HFpEF was reduced by 25 to 30% when women walked about 3,600 steps per day
Encouraging older adults to be more active as part of healthy aging is good advice well supported by scientific evidence. “However, conveying how much activity is always a challenge to incorporate as part of clinical and public health recommendations,” LaMonte says. “Steps per day are easily understood and can be measured through various wearable devices to help people monitor their physical activity levels.”
In this study, the risk of heart failure, including HFpEF, was significantly reduced by walking about 2,500 steps per day. When standardized to 3,600 steps per day there was a 25 to 30% lower risk of heart failure and HFpEF. For perspective, the average number of steps per day among the women in the study was 3,588. “It appears that step intensity did not influence the lower risk of heart failure, as the results were comparable for light intensity steps and more vigorous steps,” says LaMonte.
“Our results showing that prevention of heart failure in older women could be improved by walking about 3,000 steps per day at the usual pace is highly relevant given the current emphasis at the federal level on identifying an amount of daily physical activity that can be compared to the steps per day for cardiovascular health and resilience to incorporate them into future public health guidelines,” concludes the researcher.
