Walking 7,000 steps daily could lower risk of dementia by 38%, depression by one-fifth: Study

Clocking in 7,000 steps a day could lower overall death risk by 47 per cent, dementia by 38 per cent, and depression by 22 per cent, a new study published in The Lancet Public Health has claimed.

The analysis of data from 88 studies published between 2014 and 2025, involving 1.6 lakh adults, is the first to comprehensively assess how steps taken daily can help keep numerous health conditions at bay—unlike previous research that mainly focused on heart health or overall death rates, researchers said.

The study team included researchers from the University of Sydney, among other institutes in Australia, the UK, Spain, and Norway.

Walking 7,000 steps daily was also associated with a six per cent lower chance of developing cancer, and was seen to reduce the chance of developing heart disease by 25 per cent, diabetes by 14 per cent, and of suffering a fall by 28 per cent, compared to taking 2,000 steps daily.

The authors highlighted that targeting 7,000 steps per day may be more realistic, compared to the current unofficial 10,000 steps per day—especially for the less active—and can still provide significant improvements in health.

They, however, cautioned that evidence for conditions, such as cancer and dementia, was supported by a small number of studies, which meant a lower level of certainty for these results.

Many studies also did not account for factors, including age and frailty, which can introduce a bias in the study’s findings, the team said.

They authors wrote, “Compared with 2,000 steps per day, 7,000 steps per day was associated with a 47 per cent lower risk of all-cause mortality, a 25 per cent lower risk of cardiovascular disease incidence, a 47 per cent lower risk of cardiovascular disease mortality, a non-significant six per cent lower risk of cancer incidence, a 37 per cent lower risk of cancer mortality, a 14 per cent lower risk of type 2 diabetes, a 38 per cent lower risk of dementia, a 22 per cent lower risk of depressive symptoms, and a 28 per cent lower risk of falls.”

They added, “The evidence certainty was moderate for all outcomes except for cardiovascular disease mortality (low), cancer incidence (low), physical function (low), and falls (very low).”