8,000 steps once or twice a week cuts mortality risk: study

WASHINGTON – Walking 8,000 steps – about four miles (6.4 kilometers) – one or two days a week may significantly reduce the risk of an early death, according to a study released on Tuesday.

While regular exercise is known to lower mortality risk, the study published in the journal JAMA Network Open looked at the health benefits of walking intensively only a few days a week.

For the study, the researchers from Kyoto University and the University of California, Los Angeles analyzed data from 3,100 American adults.