A large study has found that people with high blood pressure can significantly lower their risk of heart disease and stroke by simply walking more— even if they don’t reach the popular goal of 10,000 steps per day.
Walking faster also adds more protection for the heart.
The research, published in the *European Journal of Preventive Cardiology*, looked at data from more than 36,000 people with high blood pressure. The findings show that even modest increases in daily steps were linked to major health benefits.
Compared to walking just 2,300 steps a day, every extra 1,000 steps reduced the risk of a major cardiovascular event—like a heart attack, stroke, or heart failure—by 17%, up to a limit of 10,000 steps. Walking more than 10,000 steps continued to offer some extra protection, especially against stroke.
High blood pressure affects over 1.28 billion people worldwide and greatly increases the risk of serious health problems. Until now, experts weren’t sure how much more activity was needed to reduce the risk of heart issues in people with high blood pressure.
“This study is one of the first to show a clear link between how much people walk and their risk of heart and blood vessel problems,” said Professor Emmanuel Stamatakis from the University of Sydney. “The more people with high blood pressure walk—and the faster they walk—the lower their risk.”
The study used data from the UK Biobank, a major health study in the UK. Between 2013 and 2015, more than 32,000 participants with high blood pressure wore wrist devices to track their steps and walking speed over seven days. Their average age was 64, and researchers followed their health for nearly eight years.
During this time, 1,935 participants had a heart-related event or stroke. But every 1,000 extra steps per day reduced the absolute risk of:
31.5 fewer major heart events per 10,000 people per year
7.2 fewer cases of heart failure
9.9 fewer heart attacks
10.4 fewer strokes
People who walked faster also benefited. The average pace for the 30 fastest minutes of walking each day was 80 steps per minute, which was linked to a 30% lower risk of heart problems. There was no sign of harm even in people who walked very fast—over 130 steps per minute.
The team also looked at over 37,000 people without high blood pressure and found similar benefits. Every extra 1,000 steps per day reduced the risk of heart disease and stroke by 20–25% in this group.
The study’s strengths include its large sample size, the use of precise wrist-worn step counters, and long-term follow-up. It also used national health records in the UK to track outcomes.
However, there were some limitations. The data on walking was collected only once, at the beginning of the study. The researchers could not say for sure that walking caused better health outcomes—only that it was strongly linked to them. Still, they performed additional tests to reduce the chance that other health problems might explain the results.
Most participants in the UK Biobank were white, better educated, and generally healthier than the average UK resident. So, the results might not apply to everyone. Still, the findings suggest that even small increases in walking—especially at a brisk pace—can offer big health benefits, especially for those with high blood pressure.
“Walking is simple, free, and easy to track,” said Prof. Stamatakis. “Our results show that more steps and faster walking could be powerful tools for reducing heart disease in people with high blood pressure. Doctors should encourage walking as a regular part of care.”
The study is published in European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.
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