Does walking 10,000 steps a day lead to weight loss?

Answer:

The concept of “10,000 steps a day” originated in 1965 from a Japanese pedometer company. It was more a marketing strategy than a scientifically-based recommendation. Still, the figure has spread to many countries around the world.

A woman tying her sneaker laces. Illustration photo by Freepik

Walking 10,000 steps a day brings many health benefits indeed, including helping people suffering from overweight or obesity reduce the amount of fat in their bodies, increasing the level of good cholesterol, and improving the cardiovascular and respiratory systems.

However, research studies emphasize that leading a healthy lifestyle – ensuring good sleep quality, managing stress level, and following healthy diet plans – plays a more crucial role in overall health and weight loss than walking 10,000 steps a day.

Furthermore, walking 10,000 steps may not be very effective for weight loss in most people, as the calorie expenditure is only between 350-400 Kcal per hour, a figure considered low.

Dr. Nguyen Xuan Ninh

Vietnam Institute of Applied Medicine