08/07/2025
HOW 7,000 STEPS A DAY COULD REDUCE YOUR RISK OF CANCER
A growing body of research shows that regular physical activity can lower the risk of cancer. Now, recent findings from the University of Oxford add more weight to that idea.
According to a large study involving over 85,000 people in the UK, the more steps you take each day, the lower your chances of developing up to 13 different types of cancer. The benefits began to appear at around 5,000 steps a day - anything below that didn’t seem to offer much protection.
At 7,000 steps, the risk of developing cancer dropped by 11%. At 9,000 steps, it dropped by 16%. Beyond 9,000 steps, the benefits levelled off. These associations also held up when results were adjusted for demographic, BMI and other lifestyle factors, such as smoking, suggesting that the observed changes in cancer risk were indeed down to the average number of daily steps a participant took.
The researchers looked at 13 specific cancers, including oesophageal, liver, lung, kidney, gastric, endometrial, myeloid leukaemia, myeloma, colon, head and neck, re**al, bladder and breast.
Over the six-year follow-up period, around 3% of participants developed one of these cancers. The most common were colon, re**al, and lung cancers in men, and breast, colon, endometrial, and lung cancers in women.
Higher physical activity levels were most strongly linked to reduced risk of six cancers: gastric, bladder, liver, endometrial, lung and head and neck.
The study also stands out because it didn’t focus solely on vigorous exercise. You don’t have to do it all at once either. The researchers suggest breaking it up throughout the day by: taking the stairs instead of the lift; having a stroll at lunchtime; walking during phone calls; parking a bit further away from your destination.
But for now, the message is clear: sit less, move more - and you could walk your way toward better health.
(The study is published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.)