Researchers say the target significantly reduces risk of dying and lowers likelihood of cardiovascular disease

Older people who only walk 4,000 daily steps once a week still reduce their risk of dying early by a quarter, a study suggests.

Staying active is known to bring a wide range of health benefits. But many people in their 60s, 70s and beyond may struggle for a variety of reasons to maintain the step count they used to reach. Until now it has been unclear how much people need to do as they age to reap the rewards.

Research led by Harvard University has some answers. The large prospective study examined not only how many steps older people took but how often they reached step targets across the week.

Researchers found achieving 4,000 steps per day on one or two days a week was associated with a significantly lower risk of death and lower risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), compared with not reaching this level on any day. The findings were published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.