The number of steps you really need to walk a day to lower cancer risk — forget that old ‘10K’ rule

Every step counts when it comes to your health — but a new study suggests hitting a specific number every day could lower your risk of cancer.

And no, it’s not 10,000. 

Turns out, that magic number we’ve all been chasing wasn’t discovered in a lab. It was actually dreamed up in the 1960s as a clever marketing tactic to sell pedometers in Japan.

The good news is that the latest recommendations are backed by solid science from the UK.

The large study followed over 85,000 participants who wore activity trackers measuring both the amount and intensity of their daily movement for an average of six years.

Researchers focused on 13 types of cancer and identified a clear trend: the more you move, the lower your risk.

Over the six-year follow-up period, 3% of participants developed cancer. The most common were colon, rectal and lung in men, along with breast, colon, endometrial and lung in women.

The study found that people who walked 7,000 steps a day had an 11% lower cancer risk compared to those logging just 5,000.

At 9,000 steps, the risk dropped further to 16% — but beyond that, the benefits leveled off.

The results held steady even after researchers accounted for demographic, health and lifestyle factors, indicating that it was the steps themselves that made the difference.

“Getting more steps into your routine, especially during middle age, could be one of the simplest ways to lower your risk of developing certain cancers,” Dr. Mhairi Morris, a senior lecturer in biochemistry at Loughborough University who wasn’t involved in the study, wrote in The Conversation. 

Not a fan of power walking? No problem. If you prefer a leisurely stroll, you’re still doing your body a favor.

While researchers found a faster pace was linked to a lower cancer risk, once overall activity levels were factored in, speed didn’t really matter.

Participants who traded sitting time for physical activity also saw a drop in cancer risk. However, increasing the intensity from light to moderate didn’t provide much additional benefit.

“Our research highlights the importance of all forms of movement,” Dr. Aiden Doherty, professor of biomedical informatics at Oxford Population Health and senior author of the study, said in a statement.

“Whether it’s increasing daily steps, engaging in light activity, or incorporating moderate-to-vigorous exercise, any level of physical activity appears to contribute to lower cancer risk,” he continued.

This study comes at a time when many common cancers, like breast, kidney, colorectal and uterine cancers, are on the rise in the US.

While the increase is multifactorial, experts point to rising obesity rates and an increasingly sedentary lifestyle as major drivers of the growing cancer risk — particularly among young people.

Across the country, more than 2 in 5 adults have obesity, along with 1 in 5 children and adolescents.

The Department of Health and Human Services recommends adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise each week, plus muscle-strengthening activities like weightlifting at least twice a week.

Yet, according to CDC data, more than two-thirds of Americans aren’t hitting those benchmarks.

“Our findings support and enhance current national and international physical activity guidelines, showing that people who often engage in simple low-intensity activities such as walking have a lower risk of developing cancer,” Doherty said.

The American Cancer Society estimates that more than 2 million new cases will be diagnosed in the US in 2025, and more than 618,000 people will die from the disease. That’s roughly 1,700 cancer deaths every day nationwide.