Lancet Public Health

7,000 daily steps associated with substantial reductions in mortality and chronic disease risk

July 29, 2025

Achieving 7,000 steps/day is associated with clinically meaningful reductions in mortality and multiple chronic disease risks, supporting its use as a realistic and evidence-based physical activity target for adults. These findings reinforce the utility of step-based goals in clinical counseling and public health, while acknowledging limitations such as limited age-specific data and potential residual confounding.

Study details: This systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis synthesized prospective studies (2014–2025) examining device-measured daily steps and a broad range of health outcomes in adults, including all-cause mortality, CVD, cancer, T2DM, cognitive and mental health, physical function, and falls. Fifty-seven studies from 35 cohorts were included in the review, with 31 studies from 24 cohorts contributing to meta-analyses. Certainty of evidence was assessed using GRADE.

Results: An inverse, non-linear association was observed for all-cause mortality, CVD incidence, dementia, and falls, with inflection points at approximately 5,000–7,000 steps/day. For CVD mortality, cancer incidence/mortality, T2DM, and depressive symptoms, the association was inverse and linear. Compared with 2,000 steps/day, 7,000 steps/day was associated with a 47% lower risk of all-cause mortality (hazard ratio, 0.53; 95% confidence interval, 0.46–0.60), 25% lower CVD incidence, 47% lower CVD mortality, 37% lower cancer mortality, 14% lower T2DM incidence, 38% lower dementia risk, 22% lower depressive symptoms, and 28% lower fall risk. Certainty of evidence was moderate for most outcomes, but lower for CVD mortality, cancer incidence, physical function, and falls.

Source:

Ding D, et al. (2025, July 17). Lancet Public Health. Daily steps and health outcomes in adults: a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40713949/