Walking 3,000 steps per day may be the key to health improvements

New Australian research shows that the risk of diabetes is decreased as the amount of walking increases.

For the study, 592 adults in their middle ages were involved in a study to gauge the prevalence of diabetes in Australia. To begin, each person received a health exam and explained their personal and health habits to researchers.

Additionally, each person was provided with a pedometer and received training about how to properly use it.

After waiting five years, researchers performed follow ups on the participants and noticed that an average higher daily step count also meant a lower body mass index (BMI) and better sensitivity to insulin. These benefits were noticeable even after accounting for diet, alcohol, and tobacco use.

The primary reason for the changes appeared to be due to weight loss associated with increased physical activity levels.

Researchers discussed that sedentary individuals increasing their step counts to 10,000 or more per day would notice drastic improvements in most areas of health, including insulin sensitivity, especially when compared to individuals who only walked about 3,000 steps per day.

While 10,000 steps per day is ideal, more recent suggestions explain walking 3,000 steps per day at least five days per week to be realistic.

The study can be found online in the British Medical Journal.