A modest level of physical activity may help protect women from health risks
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- Reviewed by Robert H. Shmerling, MD, Senior Faculty Editor, Harvard Health Publishing; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing
What’s the minimum number of daily steps you can take to reap health benefits? A study published online Oct. 21, 2025, by the British Journal of Sports Medicine may offer insight. It found that women who walked at least 4,000 steps in a day at least once or twice a week had a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and early death.
More than 13,000 women, average age 72, wore activity trackers for a week to monitor their average daily steps. The women were then divided into groups based on the number of days per week they achieved a daily threshold of 4,000, 5,000, 6,000, and 7,000 steps.
When researchers followed up 11 years later, women who had taken at least 4,000 steps once or twice a week had a 27% lower risk of cardiovascular disease and 26% lower risk of death from any cause compared with those who never reached 4,000 steps. Taking 4,000 daily steps for three or more days weekly was associated with a 40% lower risk of death and, again, a 27% reduction in cardiovascular disease. The results showed little or no additional benefit from taking more daily steps (5,000 to 7,000) at least one day per week.
Image: © Patrik Giardino/Getty Images
About the Author
Matthew Solan, Former Executive Editor, Harvard Men's Health Watch
About the Reviewer
Robert H. Shmerling, MD, Senior Faculty Editor, Harvard Health Publishing; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing
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