Not Reviewed

CATEGORY: HEART & CIRCULATION

Among adults who walked relatively little, those who took most of their daily steps in sustained stretches of 10 minutes or more had lower rates of heart disease and death than those whose steps came in scattered bursts of under 5 minutes, a large UK study found. In other words, for people who are not very active, how steps are gathered through the day — not just the total — appeared to track with heart health.¹

How the Study Worked

Researchers drew on 33,560 adults in the UK Biobank, a long-running health study, who averaged 8,000 or fewer steps a day and had no heart disease or cancer at the start. Each person wore a wrist activity tracker for about a week, which captured a snapshot of how they typically accumulated their walking — in short bursts or longer bouts. The researchers then sorted people by the bout length in which they took most of their steps and followed their health records for nearly eight years, counting new cardiovascular events and deaths from any cause.

What the Numbers Showed

The differences were sizable. Over the follow-up, people whose steps came mostly in bouts shorter than 5 minutes had about a 13% chance of a cardiovascular event, while those who walked mostly in bouts of 15 minutes or longer had about a 4% chance — roughly a third as high. Deaths from any cause followed the same pattern, falling from about 4% in the shortest-bout group to under 1% in the longest-bout group. Benefits appeared as bouts lengthened toward the 10-to-15-minute range.¹

Why Sustained Walking May Help

A continuous walk gives the heart and circulation a longer, steadier workout than a quick stroll to another room. Sustained movement raises the heart rate enough to improve how efficiently the heart pumps and how well blood vessels relax and widen, effects that brief bursts may not fully deliver. Over time, that steadier demand is thought to support healthier blood pressure and circulation.

What This Means

This was an observational study, which can reveal an association but cannot prove that longer walks directly lower heart risk. Walking was measured just once, and people who move only in short bursts may differ in health from those who take longer walks. Even so, the findings suggest that for less-active people, gathering steps into longer, uninterrupted stretches may be a meaningful pattern — not a fixed prescription.

Key Takeaways

• Among less-active adults, taking most daily steps in sustained bouts of 10 minutes or more was linked to lower heart disease and death risk than walking in very short bursts.
• The comparison was between roughly a 13% and a 4% chance of a cardiovascular event over the study — a large difference for a simple change in pattern.
• If you walk relatively little, weaving longer continuous walks into your day is something you could raise with your doctor.
• This study shows an association, not cause and effect; check with your healthcare provider before starting or changing an exercise routine.

References

1. del Pozo Cruz B, Ahmadi M, Sabag A, et al. Step Accumulation Patterns and Risk for Cardiovascular Events and Mortality Among Suboptimally Active Adults. Annals of Internal Medicine. 2025;178(12):1718–1727. link

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