This many steps a day are actually good for your health (and they're less than you think)

10,000 steps a day: for years, that was considered the magic number for a healthy lifestyle. But according to a new study, that number isn't necessary at all. Even 7,000 steps a day appears to offer significant health benefits.

And anything above that has only limited additional effect.

This is evident from a review study published Thursday in the medical journal The Lancet . Scientists analyzed data from 160,000 adults from previous studies. This makes it the largest study ever conducted on the effect of walking daily.

The study shows that people who take an average of 7,000 steps per day have a demonstrably lower risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, dementia, depression and even cancer.

Compared to people who only take 2,000 steps a day, the difference is clearly noticeable. Those who take more than 7,000 steps still reap some additional health benefits , but the gains diminish rapidly.

The well-known guideline of ten thousand steps a day turns out to be completely scientifically unsubstantiated. "We think we should take ten thousand steps a day, but there's no evidence for that," says research leader Melody Ding about the study .

The origins likely lie in a Japanese marketing campaign surrounding the 1964 Olympic Games, which launched a pedometer called the manpo-kei, or "ten thousand step counter."

According to Ding, it's more important that people consciously engage in daily movement. "And that doesn't necessarily have to be just walking. Cycling, swimming, or other forms of exercise count just as much."

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