A recent medical study revealed that walking just twice a week, for 40 minutes each time, can reduce women's risk of heart attacks and strokes by more than a quarter.
Study: Walking just twice a week may prolong women's lives
Researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston conducted the study on more than 13,000 women with an average age of 71, with the aim of determining the impact of the number of weekly steps on heart health.
The results showed that the number of times women walk per week is more important than the speed or duration of their steps, as walking from one to three times a week makes a clear difference in reducing the risk of death, even without committing to daily walking.
Dr. Rikota Hamaya, the lead researcher on the study, said: "Our results show that the number of weekly steps is more important than the pace of walking, and there is no single ideal pattern; combining steps flexibly is a 'practical option for improving health'."
During the follow-up period of approximately 11 years until the end of 2024, 1,765 women (13%) died, and 781 women (5%) developed cardiovascular disease.
Safe daily walking duration for health
Walking 4,000 steps — about 40 minutes — once or twice a week reduced the risk of death from heart disease by 27%. Walking three times a week reduced the risk of death from any cause by 40%.
The data also showed that increasing the number of daily steps to between 5,000 and 7,000 steps on three or more days a week contributed to reducing the risk of death from any cause by 32%, with no significant effect on deaths resulting from heart disease.
The researchers explained that regular walking promotes blood circulation and maintains a balance of blood pressure and cholesterol levels, which has a positive impact on cardiovascular health.
The researchers pointed out that their findings are observational and do not prove a direct causal relationship, and that physical activity was measured over only one week during the long monitoring period, making it difficult to assess changes in the participants' lifestyle or health habits.
Previous studies — including research from the University of Sydney — have found that walking 7,000 steps a day may provide health benefits almost identical to walking 10,000 steps, and help reduce the risk of premature death, dementia and heart disease by up to 47%.
