While regular exercise is known to lower the risk of mortality, research published in the JAMA Network Open journal looked at the health benefits of brisk walking just a few days a week.
For the study, researchers from Kyoto University and the University of California, Los Angeles analyzed data from 3,100 American adults.
They found that those who walked 8,000 steps (6.4 km) or more one or two days a week were 14.9% less likely to die over a 10-year period than those who never reached that mark.
For those who walked that mark or more three to seven days a week, the mortality risk was even lower: 16.5%.
But the health benefits of walking 8 thousand steps or more one or two days a week seemed older for those over 65.
“These findings suggest that people may receive substantial health benefits from walking just a few days a week,” according to the researchers.
The study counted the daily steps of the 3,100 participants in 2005 and 2006 and examined their mortality data 10 years later.
Among the participants, 632 logged 8,000 steps or more zero days a week; 532.8 thousand steps or more one or two days a week; and 1,937, 8,000 steps or more three to seven days a week.
The average American walks 1.5 to 2 miles a day (3,000 to 4,000 steps), according to the Mayo Clinic, which maintains that walking as a regular activity can reduce the risk of heart disease, obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and depression.