---
title: "Walking pace vs. step count: Both linked to lower mortality risk"
id: "medical-news-today-0-walk-faster-or-walk-more-study-shows-both-pace-and-step-count-lower-death-risk"
canonical_url: "https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/medical-news-today-0-walk-faster-or-walk-more-study-shows-both-pace-and-step-count-lower-death-risk"
content_type: "clinical_feed_article"
specialty: "Cardiology"
source_name: "Medical News Today"
source_url: "https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/walk-faster-walk-more-study-both-pace-step-count-lower-death-risk/"
published_at: "2026-09-09T14:07:00.000Z"
evidence_level: "Verified Feed"
license: "CC-BY-NC-4.0 / Informational Use"
---
# Walking pace vs. step count: Both linked to lower mortality risk
## Provenance & Clinical Metadata
- **Canonical URL:** https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/medical-news-today-0-walk-faster-or-walk-more-study-shows-both-pace-and-step-count-lower-death-risk
- **Specialty:** [Cardiology](https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/cardiology.md)
- **Primary Source:** Medical News Today
- **Source URL:** [Original Journal Publication](https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/walk-faster-walk-more-study-both-pace-step-count-lower-death-risk/)
- **Published At:** 2026-09-09T14:07:00.000Z
- **Evidence Rating:** Verified Feed
## Executive GIST (TL;DR)
- A large observational analysis of UK Biobank participants found both **walking pace** (stepping intensity) and **daily step count** were associated with lower all-cause and cardiovascular mortality risk. - The study used wrist-worn activity trackers worn for seven consecutive days to measure steps and **peak 30‑min cadence** (the average steps/min for the 30 highest minutes per day). - Researchers analyzed data from 103,684 participants aged 40–69 at enrolment; after exclusions, 64,743 were included in all-cause mortality analyses (1,697 deaths) and 70,075 for cardiovascular mortality (502 deaths). - Follow-up continued until November 2022, with a mean tracking period of about 8 years. Participants with prior cardiovascular disease or cancer, missing data, or accidental deaths were excluded. - The lowest all-cause mortality risk was observed in people achieving roughly **7,500–10,000 steps** per day. - Among adults taking fewer than 5,000 steps/day, those who walked at a higher pace (>80 steps/min peak 30-min cadence) had mortality risk similar to people taking about 10,000 steps/day at a slower pace. - Investigators emphasize **behavioral flexibility**: step targets need not be identical for everyone, and different combinations of volume and intensity that are sustainable may offer similar risk reductions. - Authors caution the findings are observational (associations rather than proof that increasing peak-30 cadence lowers mortality) and advise individuals with cardiovascular risk factors to consult clinicians before increasing intensity. - Clinicians and commentators note physiological mechanisms that could explain benefits of greater intensity: improvements in blood pressure, weight, insulin sensitivity, and cardiometabolic risk. - Practical advice underscored: small bursts of activity, near-daily consistency, and increasing either step volume or intensity where feasible can contribute to longevity benefits.
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Study shows both pace and step count lower death risk ![](https://i0.wp.com/post.medicalnewstoday.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/07/Katharine-Lang-500x500-Bio.png?w=105&h=105) Written by Katharine Lang on September 9, 2026 — Fact checked by Jill Seladi-Schulman, Ph.D. ![A middle-aged female adult looks tired and out of breath after walking at a brisk pace in nature among trees](https://media.post.rvohealth.io/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/09/getty_2173580529_header_1296x728-1024x575.jpg)[Share on Pinterest](https://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.medicalnewstoday.com%2Farticles%2Fwalk-faster-walk-more-study-both-pace-step-count-lower-death-risk&media=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.post.rvohealth.io%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F3%2F2026%2F09%2Fgetty_2173580529_header_1296x728-1024x575.jpg&description=Longevity%3A%2030-minute%20brisk%20walk%20may%20be%20as%20effective%20as%207%2C500%20steps "Share on Pinterest")Short brisk walks can match the health benefits of higher daily step goals, a new study suggests. Iuliia Burmistrova/ Moment/ Getty Images * **Higher daily step counts have long been linked to a lower risk of premature death, but not everyone has the time or capacity to walk a lot every day.** * **Now, a study has found that increasing walking speed may be just as effective as increasing step count in lowering the risk of both all-cause and cardiovascular deaths.** * **The research found that people who achieved fewer than 5,000 steps per day at a rapid pace had a mortality risk similar to that of those who did 10,000 steps per day at a slower pace.** * **The researchers suggest that even if you cannot achieve a high daily step target, walking regularly and speeding up your pace when you do walk could have similar benefits.** Although the 10,000 steps a day recommendation has been widely acknowledged as an arbitrary number, experts agree that [walking more](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7093766/) is good for your health and may decrease your risk of premature death. But a new study suggests that your walking pace may be as important as the number of steps you take in lowering your mortality risk. **The study, which is published in the[British Journal of Sports Medicine](https://bjsm.bmj.com/lookup/doi/10.1136/bjsports-2025-111173), found that for those who took fewer than 5,000 steps a day, increasing walking pace to more than 80 steps per minute when they did walk was as effective as walking more than 5,000 steps at 60 steps per minute.** > “The wider message coming from this study is behavioral flexibility. Step targets need not look identical for everyone, and people who cannot walk far, or cannot walk quickly, still have a route to lower risk. This is observational work, so it should be read as an association rather than proof that changing peak-30 cadence, the indictor of stepping intensity we used, lowers mortality.” > — [Emmanuel Stamatakis](https://research.monash.edu/en/persons/emmanuel-stamatakis/), corresponding author on the study, professor of physical activity, lifestyle and population health, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia. ## Activity tracking and long-term follow-up The researchers analyzed data from 103,684 participants in the [UK Biobank](https://www.ukbiobank.ac.uk), who were ages between 40 and 69 at enrolment in the study (2006-2010). All participants wore an activity tracker for 7 consecutive days between 2013 and 2015 to monitor the number and intensity of daily steps they took. Step intensity was assessed using peak 30-­min cadence — the average steps per minute recorded for the 30 highest, but not necessarily consecutive, steps in a day and averaged over the monitoring time frame. Researchers followed up participants until November 2022, recording all-cause and cardiovascular mortality over a mean tracking period of 8 years. They excluded participants with missing data, a history of cardiovascular disease or cancer, or who died in accidents during follow-up. In total, 64,743 participants were analyzed for all-cause mortality, of whom 1,697 died during follow-up, and 70,075 for cardiovascular mortality (502 deaths). ## If you cannot walk farther, walk faster **People who achieved between 7,500 and 10,000 steps a day had the lowest risk of dying early. However, people who achieved fewer than 5,000 steps a day, but at a higher pace, had a lower risk of early death than those who achieved 5,000 to 7,500 at a lower pace.** > “Both step counts and stepping intensity matter, and the combination that works is the one a person can sustain. Accumulating 7,500 to 10,000 steps a day, roughly in line with current step-based recommendations, was associated with the lowest all-cause mortality risk in our sample. For the many adults well below that, walking some of the steps they already take briskly enough was associated with a risk in the same region as that of people taking considerably more steps at a more leisurely pace.” > — Emmanuel Stamatakis, corresponding author [Kevin Shah, MD](https://www.memorialcare.org/providers/kevin-s-shah), board certified cardiologist and Program Director of Heart Failure Outreach at MemorialCare Heart & Vascular Institute at Long Beach Medical Center in Long Beach, CA, not involved in the study, explained why greater intensity of exercise might lower mortality risk: **“More movement or, in the case of this study, more intense movement, can help improve blood pressure, support healthy weight, boost insulin sensitivity, and lower overall cardiometabolic risk.”** And Stamatakis said he was not surprised by their findings: “These findings were in line with previous studies emphasizing the important role of intensity in the activities our days already involve. We had perhaps not expected the association to be steepest among the least active adults, those accumulating fewer than 5000 steps a day, nor that two quite different stepping patterns would be associated with a similar level of risk.” “Their importance lies in the flexibility they suggest. Most middle-aged and older adults face barriers either to walking far or to walking fast, and either route appears viable,” he told _Medical News Today_. ## Incorporating any movement into your day will make a difference Experts agree that short bursts of activity done regularly can also have health benefits. Shah further advised: **“The biggest health gains often come from going from no activity to some activity. Even a few minutes of movement a day can start to improve your overall health and longevity. Focus on taking that first step then build from there. Over time, those small efforts can lead to meaningful, lasting change.”** > “You don’t have to carve out a full hour at the gym to make exercise count. Small bursts of activity throughout the day can add up. A quick morning bike ride, a walk after dinner, taking the stairs, or even short movement breaks between meetings all contribute. The goal is to build movement into your routine in a way that feels doable. Consistency matters more than doing everything perfectly.” > — Kevin Shah, MD Stamakis also underscored the importance of consistency. “The body responds to habitual patterns rather than to occasional effort, so near-daily consistency over months and years matters more than any single walk,” he told _MNT,_ cautioning that “Anyone with cardiovascular risk factors should speak with their doctor before increasing intensity.” * [Obesity / Weight Loss / Fitness](https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/categories/fitness-obesity) * [Seniors / Aging](https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/categories/seniors) * [Sports Medicine / Fitness](https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/categories/sports-medicine-fitness) ### How we reviewed this article: History Share this article [](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.medicalnewstoday.com%2Farticles%2Fwalk-faster-walk-more-study-both-pace-step-count-lower-death-risk%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dfacebook%26utm_campaign%3Dsocial-sharebar-referred-desktop "Share on Facebook") [](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?via=mnt&text=Longevity%3A%2030-minute%20brisk%20walk%20may%20be%20as%20effective%20as%207%2C500%20steps&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.medicalnewstoday.com%2Farticles%2Fwalk-faster-walk-more-study-both-pace-step-count-lower-death-risk%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dx%26utm_campaign%3Dsocial-sharebar-referred-desktop "Share on X") ![](https://i0.wp.com/post.medicalnewstoday.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/07/Katharine-Lang-500x500-Bio.png?w=105&h=105) Written by Katharine Lang on September 9, 2026 — Fact checked by Jill Seladi-Schulman, Ph.D. ## Was this article helpful? 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