Taking one long walk may be better for your cardiovascular health and longevity than taking multiple short ones—even if the total steps are the same—according to a new study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
The study analysed data from 33,560 adults aged 40-79 in the UK who walked fewer than 8,000 steps a day and had no history of cardiovascular disease or cancer. Participants were divided into four groups based on how long their typical walking bouts lasted, as measured by a fitness tracker over one week: Less than five minutes; five to <10 minutes;10 to <15 minutes and 15 minutes or longer.
Nearly half of the participants accumulated most of their daily steps in bouts lasting less than five minutes. Only 8 per cent regularly took walks lasting 15 minutes or longer.
Over an average 7.9-year follow-up, researchers recorded 735 deaths and 3,119 cardiovascular events. Those who walked in longer stretches had significantly lower risks of cardiovascular disease and death compared with those who took shorter walks.
Participants who typically walked 5 minutes or less at a time had a 13 per cent risk of experiencing a cardiovascular event, such as a heart attack or stroke, compared with just 4.39 per cent among those who took 15-minute or longer walks.
Similarly, the risk of death was 4.36 per cent in the short-walk group versus less than 1 per cent among the long-walk group.
Among the least active participants—those taking 5,000 steps or fewer per day—the risk of developing cardiovascular disease was 15 per cent for short walkers compared with 7 per cent for long walkers.
“This study shows that even people who are physically inactive can maximise their heart health benefit by tweaking their walking patterns to walk for longer at a time, ideally for at least 10-15 minutes, when possible,” said the study’s senior author.
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