Analysis of over 36,000 people with high blood pressure has shown that taking more steps, even below the recommended daily target of 10,000 steps, and walking faster, is associated with a significant reduction in the risk of major problems of the heart and blood vessels.
The study found that compared to a daily step count of 2,300 steps, every extra 1,000 steps was linked to a 17 per cent reduction in the risk of developing a major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE), up to 10,000 steps.
Additional steps above 10,000 were associated with a lower risk of stroke.
Approximately 1.28 billion people worldwide are living with high blood pressure, and it places them at increased risk of heart disease, stroke and heart failure.
Until now, it has been unclear how much people with high blood pressure need to increase their physical activity in order to see a reduction in their risk of MACE.
Professor Emmanuel Stamatakis, Director of the Mackenzie Wearables Research Hub at the University of Sydney, Australia supervised the study.
Stamatakis said: “This study is one of the first to demonstrate a dose-response relationship between daily step count and major problems of the heart and blood vessels.
“In a nutshell, we found that, if you live with high blood pressure, the more you walk with greater intensity, the lower your risk for future serious cardiovascular events.
“These findings support the message that any amount of physical activity is beneficial, even below the widely recommended daily target of 10,000 steps.”
The study analysed data obtained from 32,192 people who had enrolled in a sub-study of the UK Biobank study.
They had been diagnosed with high blood pressure and agreed to wear an accelerometer on their wrist for seven consecutive days to measure how far and how fast they walked.
Data from the accelerometers was collected between 2013 and 2015.
The average age was 64 and the participants were followed up for nearly eight years, providing the researchers with data for 283,001 person-years.
During this time 1,935 cases of heart problems or stroke occurred.
In addition to a 17 per cent reduction in overall risk for every extra 1,000 steps a day, the researchers found a 22 per cent reduction in heart failure, 9 per cent reduction in risk of heart attack, and 24 per cent reduction in risk of stroke.
The researchers found similar results when they looked at 37,350 people without high blood pressure.
Prof. Stamatakis said: “Our findings offer patients accessible and measurable targets for heart health, even below 10,000 steps daily.
“Clinicians should promote physical activity as standard care, especially in patients with high blood pressure.
“Our results can inform new, tailored public health recommendations for these patients. Future recommendations on walking in people with high blood pressure could consider promoting higher stepping intensity.”