Walking 8,000 steps a day will help reduce the risk of stroke and heart disease
Officials in the town of Moroyama, Japan, encourage people to walk to improve their health.
Walking 8,000 steps a day is effective in reducing triglyceride levels, as well as small, dense LDL cholesterol levels in the blood and the risk of hardening of the arteries, which is a cause of stroke and heart disease.
This is the conclusion made by Saitama Medical University in Japan after coordinating with local authorities to conduct a survey on the positive effects of walking on human health.
With the goal of becoming a "town for health and happiness" for its residents, since last year, Moroyama town officials have encouraged residents to walk to improve their health.
As part of the project, the government asked Saitama Medical University to conduct a survey on the health effects of walking.
The study involved 60 residents aged 18 years and older in Moroyama Town, Saitama Prefecture.
They were asked to walk 8,000 steps a day and participate in muscle strength training three times a week for six months, starting in June 2023.
Results showed that participants had significant improvements in endurance and athletic performance.
The time to perform the 6m walking test was also shortened to 4.04 seconds, 0.99 seconds faster than before the survey.
Blood tests also showed that 60% of participants had improvements in HbA1c levels - an indicator of diabetes risk - and reduced triglycerides and small, dense LDL cholesterol levels.
The LOX index - a test for the risk of stroke and heart attack - also improved, with the number of participants assessed as having "intermediate risk" falling from eight to three.
The survey's lead author, Professor Hidetoshi Takahashi from the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at Saitama Medical University, highlighted the effectiveness of walking in preventing arteriosclerosis - a condition that can lead to stroke and heart disease.
He also highlighted the importance of research collaboration with local governments in generating groundbreaking results.
The Moroyama government also plans to disseminate the survey results to encourage and raise public awareness of health, and has said it will use the survey results for future health measures.