How many steps do you need to take each day to stay fit?

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It has become a wellness mantra: get your steps in—ideally, 10,000 per day.

But how many steps do you need to take to maintain your health? And what exactly does walking do for you?

New research shows that the magic number is around 7,000 steps per day. This number of steps helps to significantly reduce the risk of health problems as diverse as dementia, heart disease, depression, type 2 diabetes, and cancer.

The study, published Thursday in the journal The Lancet Public Health, found that the risk of cancer decreased by 6 percent and the risk of dementia by 38 percent.

7,000 steps per day were also associated with a 28 percent lower risk of falls, which can be fatal for older adults.

The findings “debunk the myth that 10,000 steps per day should be the goal for optimal health,” said Dr. Daniel Bailey, a lecturer in sedentary behavior and health at Brunel University of London, who was not involved in the study, in a statement.

The study’s findings will come as no surprise to those familiar with the heart health benefits of walking. Brisk walking increases heart rate, improves circulation, lowers blood pressure, and can help with weight loss.

Related video: Study: Just 7,000 steps a day is good for your health (Dailymotion)

However, the new analysis is the first to examine how walking can reduce the risk of multiple health problems, according to the international research team.

The benefits of walking

For the analysis, the researchers tracked data from more than 160,000 people from 31 studies.

They found that even people with a modest number of steps—about 4,000 per day—had better health outcomes than people who sat a lot and took about 2,000 steps per day.

The more people walked, the better they fared if they had a disease such as heart disease. However, for other health problems, the benefits seemed to level off after about 7,000 steps per day, according to the study’s findings.

“In practice, this means that people can achieve health benefits by making small increases in their physical activity, such as 1,000 extra steps per day,” Bailey said.

The report has some limitations; in particular, the findings on cancer and dementia are less specific, as the data comes from only a few studies. In addition, some of the studies included did not fully account for other factors that could influence health outcomes, such as age or frailty.

Nevertheless, the findings may be encouraging for people who are not very active, as 7,000 steps per day may be a more realistic goal than the 10,000-step target, the researchers said.

Steven Harridge, professor of human physiology and applied physiology at King’s College London, who was not involved in the study, said in a statement that the number of steps does not say much about the intensity of physical activity, which is also essential for well-being.

Health experts recommend that adults exercise for at least 150 minutes per week—e.g., brisk walking or cycling—or do 75 minutes of vigorous exercise once a week.

Harridge nevertheless welcomed the findings.

“This study adds to the evidence showing that physical activity is vital for health, and anything that encourages people to be more active is good for physical and mental health,” Harridge said.