10,000 steps a day ISN’T a silver bullet and becoming obsessed with the goal could ‘give unfit people a false sense of security’, top experts say

Ten thousand steps a day may no longer be the sweet spot for good health.

The target could lull unfit Brits into a ‘false sense of security’, experts claimed today.

Studies have long suggested that reaching the magic five-figure number can reduce the risk of a range of serious health problems, including dementia, type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

But going further than 8,000 may not even provide ‘much additional benefit’, scientists also warned.

Instead, walking faster in shorter bursts can be just as effective for staying healthy.

Lindsay Bottoms, a researcher in exercise and health physiology at the University of Hertfordshire, told MailOnline that obsessing over the 10,000 target would “certainly” give people a false sense of security about how to stay healthy.

She added: ‘Counting steps is difficult and does not include people who cannot walk.’

‘Research shows that fewer than 10,000 provide health benefits and that 10,000 steps is an arbitrary number.

‘It has been shown that taking just 4,400 steps improves life expectancy.

‘We need to encourage people to be active, so if someone regularly takes just 2,000 steps a day, a target of 4,000 is achievable.

“It would motivate them even more than a target of 10,000, which just isn’t going to happen.”

Meanwhile, Professor Tom Yates, one of the world’s leading experts on physical activity and sedentary behavior at the University of Leicester, told MailOnline: ‘Moderate amounts of physical activity can be hugely powerful in terms of reducing the risk of premature mortality.

‘But going beyond these levels may not provide much additional benefit – at least in terms of mortality rates.

‘There are indications that the threshold is approximately 8,000 steps per day.’

Instead, focusing on and sticking to a target, such as 8,000, “will go a long way in helping inactive people improve their overall health,” he added.

“The goal can be further optimized by ensuring it includes moderate- or vigorous-intensity physical activity such as brisk walking,” he said.

‘This will be useful to many people. However, if goals aren’t your thing, it can also be helpful to make sure you’re doing at least some moderate or vigorous activity regularly.”

The 10,000 steps goal was initially designed by a Japanese marketing campaign for a pedometer in the wake of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.

At the time, there was an increasing focus on fitness in the host country and companies had tried to capitalize on the craze surrounding the Games.

One campaign involved the marketing of Yamasa’s pedometer, the Manpo-kei, which literally means ‘10,000 step meters’ in Japanese.

But this arbitrary figure was never scientifically substantiated. Instead, this number was chosen because the benchmark was memorable.

It comes as new research yesterday suggested that focusing on the time you spend exercising rather than the number of steps could be just as effective for weight loss, longevity and a reduced risk of heart disease.

Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston looked at four years of data from nearly 15,000 women over age 62.

Each participant wore a fitness tracker to measure activity levels and was given health questionnaires to complete every year.

The team found that those who took 8,000 to 8,500 steps per day reduced their risk of heart disease by 40 percent, compared to those who took about 3,000 steps daily.

Furthermore, they calculated that the same risk reduction applied to those who exercised 75 minutes per day, suggesting that measuring steps may not be necessary.

Dr. Rikuta Hamaya, lead author and investigator of the study in the Department of Preventive Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, said: ‘For some, especially younger people, exercise may include activities such as tennis, soccer, walking or jogging, all of which can be easy to do. follow with steps.’

‘For others, however, it may consist of bike rides or swimming, where monitoring the duration of the effort is easier.

‘That’s why it’s important that physical activity guidelines provide multiple ways to achieve goals.’

It adds to a growing body of research showing that the 10,000 figure may not apply to everyone.

Other studies show that almost half of those who track their movements experience anxiety while achieving their daily goal.

London-based NHS GP Dr Hana Patel also noted today that the three-figure target may be out of reach for some, including those short on time.

She told MailOnline: ‘NHS England and the Royal College of GPs encourages adults to focus on brisk walking rather than just counting steps to improve their health.

‘As GPs we encourage adults to do more moderate physical activity every day and increase the intensity of their walking, rather than just focusing on distance or number of steps.

‘Just 10 minutes of brisk walking a day is an easy way for adults to introduce more moderate physical activity into their day and reduce their risk of premature death by up to 15 percent.’

The World Health Organization (WHO) also recommends that adults do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week – or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity exercise.

There is no guideline linked to the easy-to-measure number of steps.

It is estimated that a sedentary lifestyle in Britain, where Britons spend their working hours at their desks and then take the train or car on the way home to sit in front of the TV, is estimated to kill thousands of people every year.

A 2019 estimate puts the annual death toll at 70,000 people per year, with the health problems costing the NHS £700 million annually to treat.

A 2018 U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study estimated that nearly one in ten (8.3 percent) of adult deaths in the country were caused by physical inactivity.

The WHO estimates the annual global death toll from physical inactivity at around 2 million per year, putting it in the running to be among the top 10 leading causes of global death and disability.

Physical inactivity has long been linked to health problems such as cardiovascular disease, but it also contributes to health problems such as obesity, which in itself is linked to an increased risk of type 2 diabetes and some cancers.

Cardiovascular disease is usually associated with the buildup of fatty deposits in the blood vessels, which can lead to dangerous blockages that can cause a heart attack or stroke.

Stokes is considered one of the leading causes of both death and disability in Britain, killing around 38,000 people every year and disabling many more.

According to the CDC, an estimated 160,000 people die from strokes in the US every year, with one American having a stroke every 40 seconds.