ISLAMABAD: The new medical research study reported that even a few days of walking per week could significantly improve cardiac health and lower the risk of fatal diseases, which is excellent news for those who cannot fit daily workouts or gym visits into their busy schedule of life.
The research published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine makes it clear that there is no need to walk 7,000 to 10,000 steps every day to reap the benefits. It is enough to walk at least 4,000 steps only one or two days to decrease the risk of dying from heart-related causes.
The study involved more than 13,500 women at an average age of 71 years. Their physical activity was recorded for seven days in a row between 2011 and 2015, using trackers, and their health status was updated for almost 11 years. At the beginning of the research, none of the participants suffered from heart disease or cancer.
During the 11 years, 1,765 women died due to heart-related diseases, and 781 were diagnosed with cardiovascular disease. The group of walkers who reached at least 4,000 steps one or two days per week had a 26% decrease in all-cause mortality and 27% less death from heart disease. Women who did it three days a week had the risk of death decreasing by 40% and that of heart disease by 27%. The risk of death was lowered by 32% and that from heart disease by 16% for women who walked 5,000 to 7,000 steps on three or more days.
The authors of the paper acknowledged the constraints of their research and pointed out that it was an observational study and thus not able to determine causation. Besides, they indicate that they didn’t measure long-term effects beyond the monitoring period.
Besides, a study conducted by Vanderbilt University Medical Center in August 2025 found that merely 15 minutes of a brisk walk daily would provide nearly equal benefits of 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise done throughout a week.
Around 150 minutes of exercise per week is what doctors and other health professionals recommend as the bare minimum for keeping one’s health in good condition. However, the recent experiment’s finding implies that brief episodes of brisk walking can be considerably beneficial. Brisk walking stands out as the most efficient way to lower the risk of death prematurely, as people walking briskly for at least 15 minutes daily have a 20% lower chance of dying early compared to those walking slowly for three hours daily, who only have a 4% reduction.
Walking helps to regulate body weight, lower blood sugar levels, decrease cancer risk, relieve joint pain, and strengthen the immune system.
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The research, in short, is a call to action for people to make walking a habit, which, besides being beneficial for health, even a little activity on some days of the week can make a significant difference to overall health and longevity.
