The 10,000-step myth: How a marketing gimmick shaped global health for decades

•  The 10,000-step goal originated from a marketing campaign for a Japanese pedometer in the 1960s, not from scientific research.
• A new, evidence-based “sweet spot” is approximately 7,000 steps per day, which is associated with a dramatic reduction in the risk of early death, dementia, cardiovascular disease and depression.
• The greatest health benefits come from moving from a sedentary lifestyle (around 2,000 steps) to more active levels, with even small, incremental increases providing significant gains.
• For adults over 65, the benefits continue to increase linearly with more steps, making higher step counts particularly valuable for this age group.
• The key public health message is to prioritize progress over perfection, as a more achievable goal can motivate more people to improve their health through consistent, incremental activity.

For generations, the pursuit of 10,000 daily steps has been a cornerstone of modern health advice, a golden rule echoed by doctors, personal trainer  and the fitness trackers strapped to millions of wrists.

But what if this ubiquitous target was fit based not on rigorous science, but on a clever marketing ploy from 1960s Japan? The story of the 10,000-step goal begins not with epidemiologists, but with advertisers. In the lead-up to the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, a Japanese company launched a pedometer called the “manpo-kei,” which literally translates to “10,000-step meter.” The number was chosen for its round, motivational sound, not for any clinical data.

This is the provocative truth at the heart of a groundbreaking new international study that dismantles a long-held fitness dogma and replaces it with an evidence-based, empowering alternative. The research, conducted by a team from the University of Sydney and published in the Lancet Public Health, systematically analyzes the relationship between step counts and health, revealing a more achievable path to wellness that could revolutionize public health guidelines and personal fitness goals. (Related: Walking just 7,000 steps a day cuts mortality risk nearly in half, research reveals.)

This research stands apart due to its unprecedented scale and scope. Led by Professor Melody Ding, the team conducted a meta-analysis, a powerful type of study that pools and reanalyzes data from multiple previous research projects. This approach provides a much broader and more reliable picture than any single study could. The analysis incorporated data from 57 independent studies conducted between 2014 and 2025 across several countries, including Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom. Unlike earlier reviews that focused narrowly on heart health, this investigation cast a wide net, examining the impact of steps on eight critical health outcomes: all-cause mortality, cardiovascular disease, cancer, Type 2 diabetes, dementia, depression, physical function and falls.

The core finding of the research is a paradigm shift. The data reveals that the most significant risk reductions occur well before the 10,000-step mark. The new evidence-based sweet spot is approximately 7,000 steps per day. When compared to a baseline of 2,000 steps—a sedentary lifestyle—achieving 7,000 steps daily was associated with a dramatic 47 percent lower risk of early death from any cause.

The benefits extended robustly to brain and mental health, showing a 38 percent reduced risk of dementia and a 22 percent lower risk of depressive symptoms. For cardiovascular health, the risk of disease dropped by 25 percent. This indicates that the majority of the protective payoff from walking is achieved at this more accessible level.

The power of incremental progress

Perhaps the most encouraging finding for the average person is the power of small, incremental increases. The research demonstrates that you do not need to leap from couch potato to 10,000-step enthusiast overnight. Simply moving from a baseline of 2,000 steps to 4,000 steps a day was linked to a 36 percent lower risk of early death. This underscores a critical public health message: every step counts. For individuals who feel overwhelmed by high exercise targets, this research validates that modest, consistent efforts—like parking farther away, taking the stairs or a short lunchtime walk—deliver meaningful, measurable health gains.

For those who already regularly achieve 7,000 steps, the study offers clarity on the value of pushing further. The research confirms that while additional steps do provide extra benefits, the returns diminish considerably. For instance, increasing from 7,000 to 10,000 steps only offered a modest additional seven percent reduction in dementia risk and a 10 percent further decrease in mortality risk. This suggests that for most health outcomes, the intense effort required to consistently hit five-digit step counts yields a smaller marginal benefit compared to the massive gains seen in moving from inactivity to 7,000 steps.

The analysis did uncover one vital exception to the 7,000-step plateau. For adults aged 65 and older, the relationship between steps and mortality risk remained linear. This means that for this demographic, the risk of dying continued to decline steadily with each additional step beyond 7,000. This finding provides a clear, evidence-based reason for older individuals to remain as active as possible, as their bodies appear to derive continuous benefit from higher activity levels well beyond the benchmark that is sufficient for younger adults.

Brighteon.AI‘s Enoch suggests the following to avoid a sedentary lifestyle:

• Integrate short bursts of activity into your day by setting a timer to stand up and move for five minutes every hour.
• Replace passive commuting with active travel, such as cycling or walking, for at least part of your journey.
• Make movement a social activity by suggesting walking meetings or a post-dinner stroll with family or friends.
• Choose hobbies that require physical engagement, like gardening or dancing, over prolonged periods of sitting.

Ultimately, consistently prioritizing movement throughout your daily routine is the key to combating a sedentary lifestyle.

Watch and learn about the importance of walking for health.

This video is from Natural Cures channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Rethinking the 10,000-step rule: How fewer steps done right can save your heart.

Study: Walking 2,000 steps a day can decrease older women’s risk of heart failure.

Take it one step at a time: You don’t need 10,000 steps to live longer.

Sources include: 

MindBodyGreen.com

SciTechDaily.com

News-Medical.net

Brighteon.ai

Brighteon.com