Daily Strides May Mean Longer Life for Older Women

A study published in JAMA Internal Medicine suggests older women who walk the equivalent of about two miles daily may have a longer life span than less active persons, reports KFGO . The researchers recruited nearly 17,000 females in their early 70s to track their total daily steps and the intensity of their movements via accelerometers. Participants logged an average 5,499 steps a day, or about 2.5 miles. Over an average follow-up period of 4.3 years, 504 women passed away. Compared to women who logged no more than 2,718 steps daily, women who racked up at least 4,363 daily steps had a 41 percent lower mortality rate. "More steps taken per day were associated with even lower mortality rates until about 7,500 steps a day, beyond which no further declines were observed," said Harvard Medical School's I-Min Lee. "The rate of stepping did not matter in these older women. It was the number of steps that mattered."