Fitting more total walking into an ordinary day may be one of the simplest ways to support a longer life, and you do not need to walk fast to get the benefit. A study of U.S. adults aged 40 and older found that a higher daily step count was associated with a lower risk of death from all causes, heart disease, and cancer over about a decade of follow-up. The number of steps, not the pace, was the factor most strongly linked to lower mortality.
What the study found
The research was published March 24, 2020, in JAMA. The lead author was Pedro Saint-Maurice, Ph.D., of the National Cancer Institute’s Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, and the team included investigators from the National Cancer Institute, the National Institute on Aging, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to the NCI press release.
The analysis drew on 4,840 adults aged 40 and older who took part in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 2003 and 2006. Participants had a mean age of 56.8 years, 2,435 (54%) were women, and 1,732 (36%) had obesity. They wore hip-mounted accelerometers during waking hours, for a mean of 5.7 days and about 14.4 hours per day, so both total daily steps and peak walking pace could be recorded. The average participant logged 9,124 steps per day.
Participants were then followed for mortality through 2015 via the National Death Index. The JAMA paper reported that there were "1165 deaths over a mean 10.1 years of follow-up, including 406 CVD and 283 cancer deaths." The analysis used 4,000 steps per day, described as a low count for adults, as the reference point.
Compared with 4,000 steps per day, the study reported:
- 8,000 steps per day was associated with a 51% lower risk of all-cause mortality.
- 12,000 steps per day was associated with a 65% lower risk of all-cause mortality.
- Similar patterns appeared for deaths attributed to heart disease and cancer.
The authors reported that these associations were consistent across men and women, younger and older adults, and among white, black, and Mexican-American adults.
Why pace mattered less than volume
An initial link between faster walking pace and lower mortality largely disappeared once the analysis controlled for total daily step count. The authors wrote that they saw no association between step intensity and risk of death after accounting for the total number of steps taken per day. Saint-Maurice said the team wanted to understand "whether stepping at a higher intensity makes a difference," and the data pointed to total volume as the stronger signal.
There is no need to dismiss brisk walking. In their dataset, though, the sheer volume of accumulated steps was the better predictor of longevity. Because few studies have looked at walking intensity among adults going about their daily lives, the authors wrote that future studies of intensity and mortality are warranted.
How the study was structured
Researchers did not assign walking protocols or ask participants to change their habits. They grouped people by their existing step counts, from fewer than 4,000 steps per day up to 12,000 or more, and tracked outcomes over time. The models adjusted for age, sex, race and ethnicity, education, diet, smoking, body mass index, self-reported health, mobility limitations, and diagnoses including diabetes, stroke, heart disease, heart failure, cancer, chronic bronchitis, and emphysema.
Because the design was observational, the study cannot prove that taking more steps causes lower mortality. The authors acknowledged that people who walked more may have had other healthful habits that were not fully captured in the statistical adjustment, a common limitation in this type of research.
Practical ways to add steps from a normal day
The authors noted that steps accumulate from many sources: short walks, dog walking, errands, and casual pacing around the house or office. Suggestions drawn from the report include breaking up long sitting periods, walking during phone calls, parking farther from entrances, and adding short walks after meals.
The report did not set a single target for everyone. Instead, the authors suggested it may help to build up from wherever your count is now rather than chasing one universal number. For someone averaging 5,000 steps, that means looking for a few hundred more a day, not jumping straight to a round figure seen on a tracker.
These findings sit alongside national movement advice worth checking with your own doctor. The World Health Organization’s physical activity guidance recommends that adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week. If you are unsure how a step goal fits with that guidance, consider discussing it with your own doctor.
What to do now
- Check your current daily average on a phone or tracker for a week before setting any goal, so you know your real starting point.
- Aim to add steps gradually from that baseline rather than targeting a single universal number, which is the approach the study authors described.
- Look for movement already in your day: short walks, errands, dog walking, walking during phone calls, and parking farther from entrances all count toward the total.
- Break up long stretches of sitting, since the study linked total volume of movement across the day to lower mortality.
- Ask your doctor before making any large change to your activity level.
Limitations worth keeping in mind
Step counts were measured over a single seven-day window early in the study, then outcomes were tracked for years. The authors also noted that unmeasured differences between more-active and less-active participants could still influence the results even after statistical controls. Even with those caveats, the association appeared across demographic groups and held for all-cause, heart disease, and cancer mortality, which makes the central finding a reasonable starting point for anyone thinking about how to fit more movement into a normal routine.
FAQ
How many steps per day are linked to lower mortality?
Compared with 4,000 steps per day, the JAMA study reported that 8,000 steps per day was associated with a 51% lower risk of all-cause mortality and 12,000 steps with a 65% lower risk. The authors did not prescribe a single target for everyone.
Does walking speed matter for longevity?
In this analysis, walking speed alone did not predict mortality once total daily step count was taken into account. The authors reported no association between step intensity and risk of death after adjusting for total steps.
Does this study prove that more steps cause a longer life?
No. The study is observational, so it can show an association but not prove causation. The authors noted that more-active participants may have had other healthful habits that also contributed to the results.
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