Research shows that taking 7,000 steps a day can reduce cancer risk by about 11%, and taking 9,000 steps reduces the risk by 16%.

2026/09/25 13:21

Nutritionist Lao Gu shared a large-scale study and pointed out that compared with those who walked 5,000 steps a day, people who could walk a certain number of steps had an approximately 11% lower risk of cancer; situational photo. (Picture taken from freepik)

[Health Channel/Comprehensive Report] Do you have to walk 10,000 steps a day, or even until you are out of breath, to bring about health benefits? Nutritionist Lao Gu shared a large-scale study that showed that people who moved the most every day had about a 26% reduction in the risk of 13 specific cancers compared with people who hardly moved at all. Compared with those who walk 5,000 steps a day, those who can walk 7,000 steps have a reduced risk of cancer by about 11%; those who walk 9,000 steps have a reduced risk of about 16%, and there is no significant difference in walking speed, indicating that the amount of activity accumulated every day may be more important than how fast they walk.

Lao Ku posted on Facebook that a large prospective study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine tracked more than 80,000 people in the UK, objectively recorded daily activity through wrist accelerometers, and then tracked the occurrence of cancer for an average of 5.8 years.

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The study pointed out that compared with people who hardly moved at all, people who moved the most every day had about a 26% lower risk of 13 specific cancers. In addition, studies have also found that low-intensity physical activity (LIPA) and moderate-to-high-intensity activity (MVPA) are associated with a lower risk of cancer. In other words, walking more in daily life, taking the initiative to do housework, shopping happily, etc. These low-intensity activities are actually important sources of daily accumulated physical activity.

Lao Gu further mentioned that research also pointed out that from the perspective of step count, walking more is better for reducing the risk of cancer than walking 5,000 steps a day. For those who walked 7,000 steps a day, the risk dropped by 11%, and for those who took 9,000 steps, the risk dropped by about 16%. However, after about 9,000 steps, the risk reduction began to slow down. The study also found that when the number of steps per day is about the same, there is no significant relationship between walking speed and cancer risk. Therefore, how much activity you accumulate each day may be more important than how fast you walk when it comes to reducing cancer risk.

Lao Gu emphasized that regular aerobic and resistance exercise is certainly good for health, but increasing total daily activity is also very important for reducing the risk of cancer. It is recommended that you walk more often, take a walk after meals, make good use of climbing stairs, take the initiative to do housework, and even go shopping after eating. Accumulating scattered activities will help increase the total daily activity.