Walking 7,000 steps a day significantly lessens the risk of major non-communicable diseases, including the risk of mortality from cardiovascular diseases, cancer, dementia, and depressive symptoms, according to a new study.

Earlier, 10,000 steps a day was considered a benchmark to lessen the risk of mortality and morbidity from major non-communicable diseases.

The report published recently in The Lancet, a leading international medical journal, stated that 7,000 steps a day is associated with clinically meaningful improvements in health outcomes and might be a more realistic and achievable target for some.

“The report should not be interpreted as saying that 10,000 steps a day is wrong,” said Dr Om Murti Anil, an interventional cardiologist. “Those who are healthy, involved in physical activity and are walking 10,000 steps or more a day should continue walking. Those who do not walk or do physical activity must walk at least 5,000 to 7000 steps daily.”

The burden of non-communicable diseases has risen alarmingly in recent years. The Nepal Burden of Disease 2017 report attributed two-thirds (66 percent) of total deaths to non-communicable diseases, while the figure jumped to 71.1 percent in the 2019 report. The Global Burden of Disease 2021 shows 73 percent of deaths are caused by non-communicable diseases.

According to The Lancet’s study, carried out over the past 10 years by an international team of researchers in adults worldwide, walking 7,000 steps a day lowers the risk of all causes of mortality by 47 percent. Walking 7,000 steps a day also lowers the risk of developing cardiovascular disease by 25 percent, reduces the risk of dying from cardiovascular diseases by 47 percent, lowers the risk of type-2 diabetes by 14 percent, dementia risk by 38 percent, and depressive symptoms by 22 percent compared to those who walk only 2,000 steps a day.

“Give up a sedentary lifestyle and start walking,” said Anil, who is also a popular social media celebrity in the country. Those who walk less than 2,000 steps a day are at high risk of having non-communicable diseases.”

Besides making videos on social issues, he regularly uploads content on health-related topics. Dr Anil has over 1.2 million followers on Facebook, and his other videos on health issues have amassed millions of views and thousands of likes, comments, and shares. He has set a Guinness World Record for the ‘most viewers for a cardiovascular health awareness livestream on Facebook’.

Anil, who carried out an in-depth behavioural study in Kathmandu a decade ago, said his study showed that 61 percent of the adult population in the Capital live a sedentary lifestyle and people start walking only after they suffer from severe health problems, including hypertension and cardiovascular diseases.

“Most of the time, patients seek treatment only when they suffer from non-communicable diseases and their health conditions worsen,” said Anil. “If problems are identified early, they can often be prevented. Prevention costs far less than treatment. And changing behaviour [involved in physical activity] cuts the risk of multiple non-communicable diseases at once.”

Experts ask the authorities concerned to increase investment for behavioural change to lessen the burden of non-communicable diseases. They say it is high time everyone focused on non-communicable diseases, as their prevalence has risen alarmingly. They said many lives could be saved if testing for non-communicable diseases is made free. Along with free testing, authorities are advised to focus on behavioural changes—improvements in eating habits and physical exercise, among other things.