AUSTIN (KXAN) — A new study reveals that walking just 7,000 steps a day can reduce a person’s risk of heart disease, the leading cause of death for both men and women in the U.S. each year.
Previous research suggested 10,000 steps a day were needed to see major health improvements. But the new analysis found benefits even at lower levels. Those who walked 4,000 steps daily saw better outcomes than people who averaged 2,000 steps.
The research concluded that participants walking 7,000 steps a day saw improvements for seven types of health risks, with cardiovascular disease lowering by up to 25%.
“It was an important study that highlights the importance to keep moving,” said Dr. Sameer Waheed, Interventional Cardiologist with Heart Hospital of Austin and Austin Heart. “But as a matter of fact, the information is actually not new. We knew about the importance of staying active for quite some time.”
What the study found
The study analyzed data from several trials conducted between 2014 and early 2025, relying on step counts from personal tracking devices to compare health outcomes across activity levels.
“When they looked for people who did 2,000 steps compared to people who did about 7,000 steps, on average, the difference in their outcome was staggering,” Waheed said.
Waheed said participants who averaged 7,000 steps had a 47% lower chance of dying from any cause, a 25% lower chance of dying from cardiovascular disease, and a 14% lower risk of developing diabetes.
“While 10,000 is even better, the more activity, the better. Even cutting it down to 7,000 had significant benefits for our population,” Waheed said.
The rest of the equation
Waheed emphasized that exercise is just one part of the equation.
“Exercise is only one part of the equation. Of course, diet plays a major role, giving up bad habits, which includes smoking… more plant-based diet and less animal-based diet, and even so, in moderation, reducing alcohol consumption. These are all the steps that they can take to reduce their future risk of cardiovascular disease,” he said.
He added that diet can sometimes outweigh exercise in importance. “Exercise is probably only a smaller part of the whole equation compared to dietary and other lifestyle changes.”
Small changes, big impact
Waheed said it’s never too late to adopt healthier habits, and even gradual changes add up.
“Small things might be, for example, parking your car further out from where you’re going… taking stairs, even if it’s a couple of flights. These small, little changes, they actually will accumulate over one year, and they do carry incremental benefit,” he said.
For more helpful resources, Waheed recommends the American Heart Association, American College of Cardiology, and the World Health Organization guidelines for physical activity and prevention strategies.
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