7,000 steps a day cuts risk of heart disease: Study

According to a study, taking 7,000 steps a day during middle age can keep a person’s arteries healthy and lowers the chances of heart diseases.

The report in JAMA Network said participants who took approximately 7,000 steps or more experienced lower mortality rates compared with participants taking fewer than 7000 steps.

The study suggested that "increasing steps" per day among the least active portion of the population may provide "mortality benefit".

The study said 7,000 steps was enough to protect against heart complications than the commonly recommended 10,000 steps per day.

The study assessed adults aged between 38 and 50 and found that those who took 7,000 steps daily were less likely to die over the next decade.

Physical activity provides substantial health benefits for many conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and several cancers, as well as improving quality of life, the report noted.

However, it said that that the US National guidelines for physical activity does not include step counts as a public health target owing to the limited number of studies.

According to the World Health Organisation(WHO), a person should perform 150 minutes of moderate exercise. The study noted that wearable patient monitoring systems have emerged as "personalised medicine tools" for the prevention and management of chronic conditions.

"Encouraging walking to achieve step goals is a well-tolerated form of activity for most people," the report said.

(With inputs from Agencies)