Longer Walks May Be Key to Heart Health

New research indicates that extending daily walking sessions could have positive effects on heart health.

The study involved healthy adults and found that those who took most of their daily steps in intervals of at least 15 minutes were at a notably reduced risk of heart disease and early death nearly a decade later compared to those who opted for shorter walking bursts throughout the day. This research was published recently in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Interestingly, individuals who had previously been less active and began taking longer walks experienced the most significant health improvements.

A team of researchers analyzed physical activity data from over 33,000 adults, averaging 62 years old, residing in the U.K. This information was gathered from 2013 to 2015 through a medical research database, the UK Biobank. For a span of three to seven days, participants wore wrist accelerometers that tracked their activity levels.

Participants were categorized into four groups based on their step intervals: bouts under five minutes, five to under ten minutes, ten to under fifteen minutes, and those lasting 15 minutes or more. The largest segment, 42.9%, belonged to the under-five-minute category.

After approximately 9.5 years, the findings suggested that those who walked in longer intervals had the lowest death risk throughout the study, while the shortest walkers faced the highest risk.

Furthermore, longer walking sessions correlated with reduced heart disease risks as the duration of walks decreased.

Co-lead study author Borja del Pozo Cruz emphasized the concept of walking durations as “doses.”

“There’s a clear dose response,” del Pozo Cruz articulated. “The longer the walking bout, the better the various health outcomes we looked at.”

The choice to focus on step accumulation patterns, rather than total step count or activity intensity, was a deliberate one. Del Pozo Cruz noted, “Everyone can essentially measure steps with their smartwatches or smartphones. We believed this focus would resonate more with individuals.”

Rethinking Step Goals

The idea that individuals should aim for 10,000 steps daily is more of a marketing strategy than a stringent scientific guideline, according to Steven Riechman, a kinesiology professor at Texas A&M University, who did not participate in this research.

Riechman mentioned the body’s necessary adaptations from rest to exercise and how these adjustments take time to achieve. This might account for why shorter walks, under five minutes, yielded less impactful health benefits.

“You need to engage all systems fully for the health benefits to manifest,” he stated, noting that increased body temperature likely doesn’t happen in less than five minutes of walking.

Despite various studies on the advantages of reaching 10,000 steps, this particular study viewed individuals averaging fewer than 8,000 steps as “suboptimally active.” All participants logged under 8,000 steps daily, identifying those with fewer than 5,000 as sedentary. The median daily activity recorded was 5,165 steps.

The connection between longer walking durations and decreased risks of premature death and heart disease was particularly pronounced in sedentary participants. In this group, those with walking bouts under five minutes had a 5.13% risk of death, while those walking 15 minutes or more only had a 0.86% risk. The heart disease risk during the decade-long study was 15.39% versus 6.89%, respectively.

“You experience significant benefits when moving from zero to something,” Riechman explained. “After that, while benefits continue, they taper off. Once you reach 10,000 steps, the additional gains diminish.”

This study contrasts earlier findings endorsing “exercise snacks,” or brief physical activity bursts under five minutes. A study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine noted that these structured activities improved fitness, unlike the unstructured, low-intensity steps described in del Pozo Cruz’s research.

The American Heart Association promotes the idea that “every step counts,” something Riechman agrees with. Engaging in any physical activity is preferable to none.

“Even getting out for some steps is beneficial,” he mentioned, “but it’s about maximizing those benefits.”

Walking is for Everyone

The study did have some limitations, including a predominance of white participants, making up 97% of the sample.

Additionally, the walking patterns recorded represent just a particular time snapshot, and exercise trends can change. Nevertheless, the large cohort likely helped consider such variability, noted Carmen Swain, director of the health and exercise science program at Ohio State University, who was not involved in the research.

A noteworthy strength of the study is the average age of the participants at 62—a phase where many might believe it’s too late to lower heart disease risk.

“It’s never too late to start walking,” Swain said. “Physiological changes that occur for younger adults will also happen for older individuals.”

While it’s true that a 60-year-old may already show signs of heart disease, it’s crucial for older adults to incorporate walking into their routines.

“Starting can be a challenge for this over-60 group,” Swain noted, emphasizing motivation as a key factor.

With heart disease being a leading cause of death in the U.S., Swain hopes the heart-health advantages of walking will serve as encouragement.

“Walking is so accessible. You can do it whenever and wherever,” she concluded. “It’s a great way to stay active.”