Walking just 7,000 steps a day could be enough to drastically lower the risk of major health conditions, including cancer, dementia, heart disease, and depression, according to a major study published in The Lancet Public Health. Contrary to the popular belief that 10,000 steps is the golden number, researchers found that a more achievable target still delivers powerful health benefits. For many, this revelation could be a motivating and realistic alternative to improve longevity and well-being without the need for intense workouts or gym memberships.
Why 7,000 steps is a game-changer
The 10,000-step goal popularized by fitness trackers originated from a Japanese marketing campaign in the 1960s. However, it wasn’t based on scientific research. The recent global analysis reviewed data from over 160,000 adults and showed that walking 7,000 steps daily reduced the risk of cardiovascular disease by 25%, dementia by 38%, depression by 22%, and cancer by 6%, compared to those who walked just 2,000 steps.Regular walking supports brain health by improving blood flow, reducing inflammation, and promoting the release of mood-boosting endorphins. It also strengthens the heart by helping to control blood pressure, lower cholesterol, and support weight management, which are key factors in reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke.
Why less can be more: the plateau effect
Interestingly, researchers noted that benefits tend to level off beyond 7,000 steps. While walking more can bring additional heart health perks, those who fall short of 10,000 steps should not be discouraged. Even a modest increase in daily steps, from 2,000 to 4,000 or more, offers measurable health improvements.
A realistic goal for everyday life
Unlike structured workouts, walking can be incorporated into daily routines through commuting, running errands, or taking breaks at work. The 7,000-step benchmark is more attainable for older adults, people with busy schedules, or those new to exercise. It also encourages a shift in focus from perfection to consistency.Health experts agree that while step counts are a useful motivator, the real goal is simply to move more. Whether it is 4,000 or 7,000 steps a day, every step counts. For many, aiming for 7,000 could serve as an effective and evidence-based way to improve long-term health outcomes without feeling overwhelmed by unreachable targets.
All of these offers are available from Amazon. As such, all the freebies are Amazon gift cards (or Amazon credits, in the case of the Galaxy Watch 8). The deals are available for all available color versions.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7, Z Flip 7, and Z Flip 7 FE
The main difference now, compared to when the pre-order deals were available, is that you no longer get the storage upgrade for free. Additionally, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 gift card has been reduced from $300 to $200. You still get the same $200 gift card for the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 and the same $100 one for the Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE.
Ryan Haines / Android Authority
I love that Samsung gave us an extra option this year, as we now have something for more types of users. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 is fantastic if you want a foldable with a larger tablet-like screen. If you prefer flip phones but want a higher-end experience, there’s the Galaxy Z Flip 7. Those who want a premium flip phone experience on a tighter budget have the Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE.
If you’re looking to sign up for one of the new watches, you’re pretty much getting the same deal you did with the pre-order offers. You’ll get a $50 promotional credit with the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8. This is a little different compared to the free gift cards, but I actually think it is a more seamless process. Instead of getting a gift card and having to redeem it manually, Amazon will just throw the $50 into your account.
C. Scott Brown / Android Authority
You’ll be rewarded for manually inputting that gift card, though! The Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 and Watch 8 Classic both get you a $100 gift card.
It’s really nice to see you can still get free gift cards when you buy these new Samsung products. The storage upgrades would be nice, but hey, you can’t just have it all, all the time! Be glad that at least you get some kind of offer so soon, and sign up for these sales quickly, because we’re pretty sure they’ll also go away soon.
ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari highlighted Pakistan’s investor-friendly policies and invited Saudi investors to explore investment opportunities in various sectors of the Pakistani economy.
The president expressed these views in a meeting with Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to Pakistan, Nawaf bin Said Al-Malki who called on President Zardari at Aiwan-e-Sadr on Friday.
During the meeting, both sides discussed ways to further strengthen bilateral cooperation, particularly in the areas of trade, economy, and culture.
The meeting was also attended by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi.
Welcoming the ambassador, President Zardari said that Pakistan and Saudi Arabia enjoyed deep-rooted and historic relations based on shared faith and mutual trust. He emphasised the need to further expand these ties for the mutual benefit of the two brotherly nations.
The president highlighted Pakistan’s investor-friendly policies and invited Saudi investors to explore investment opportunities in various sectors of the Pakistani economy. He noted that both countries share common views on regional and international issues and support each other at multilateral fora.
President Zardari expressed gratitude to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for its support to Pakistan in times of need.
He also asked the ambassador to convey his warm greetings and best wishes to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Children whose mothers had higher vitamin D levels during pregnancy scored better on tests of memory, attention and problem-solving skills at ages 7 to 12 compared with those whose mothers had lower levels. That is a key finding of a new peer-reviewed study that my colleagues and I published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
While vitamin D has long been known for its role in maintaining bone health, scientists have since uncovered its importance in regulating immune function, reducing inflammation and protecting the nervous system. Now, growing evidence – including our new findings – suggest it may also support brain development beginning in the womb.
My team and I found that the link between prenatal vitamin D levels and childhood cognition was strongest among Black families, who also face higher rates of vitamin D deficiency.
This suggests that vitamin D supplementation may be a promising, low-cost strategy to support brain development while reducing racial disparities. Our study also suggested that vitamin D levels early in pregnancy may be most important for childhood cognitive development, highlighting the importance of early action by health care providers.
Related: Your Prenatal Supplements Probably Aren’t What You Think They Are
We analyzed more than 900 mother-child pairs across the U.S. who participated in a large national study called ECHO, short for Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes. We measured vitamin D in the mothers’ blood during pregnancy and assessed children’s cognitive abilities using a standardized test battery.
We also accounted for other important factors that shape childhood development such as the mother’s education, neighborhood conditions and the child’s age and sex.
This new study builds on our earlier findings that higher vitamin D levels during pregnancy are linked to higher IQ in early childhood and with reduced behavioral problems in middle childhood.
Collectively, these studies suggest that vitamin D plays a crucial role in brain development during pregnancy, with lasting benefits for children’s cognitive and behavioral outcomes.
The children of mothers who had higher vitamin D levels during pregnancy scored better on tests of memory, attention and problem-solving skills at ages 7 to 12. (Prostock-Studio/iStock via Getty Images Plus)
Why it matters
Vitamin D deficiency is a common global problem.
In the U.S., about 42% of adults have vitamin D levels below 20 nanograms per milliliter, or ng/ml, a commonly used cutoff for deficiency. About a third of U.S. pregnant women are deficient, and the rates are even higher among Black pregnant women, with 80% found to be deficient.
This racial difference is partly due to differences in skin pigmentation, as melanin pigment reduces the skin’s ability to produce vitamin D from sunlight.
Although we can get vitamin D both from sun exposure and our diets, deficiency is common because these sources don’t meet everyone’s needs. Sunlight isn’t always a reliable source, especially for people with darker skin, those living in northern climates or those who often wear sunscreen or sun-protective clothing.
Natural food sources such as fatty fish, egg yolks and certain mushrooms contain some vitamin D, and fortified products such as milk and breakfast cereals help, but not everyone eats enough of these foods to maintain healthy vitamin D levels.
That’s why supplements are often necessary and are recommended in many cases by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
Although current guidelines recommend that pregnant women consume 600 international units, or IUs, of vitamin D daily, higher doses of at least 1,000 to 2,000 IU are often needed to correct deficiency.
On average, U.S. women consume only 168 IU from food and beverages, and many prenatal vitamins provide just 400 IU. This highlights an important opportunity for clinicians to improve screening and support around vitamin D supplementation both before and during pregnancy.
If a simple, low-cost strategy such as prenatal vitamin D supplementation can help support brain development, it may yield lasting benefits for children. Long-term studies have shown that higher cognitive scores in childhood are linked to better memory and reasoning in older age, as well as longer lifespan.
What still isn’t known
While our studies have linked higher vitamin D levels in pregnancy to improved cognitive and behavioral development in children, we cannot yet prove that vitamin D is the direct cause.
Therefore, studies called randomized controlled trials – the gold standard of research – are needed to confirm these findings and determine how best to translate them into clinical practice.
These studies will be essential for determining the optimal target levels for vitamin D to support brain development in pregnancy.
The Research Brief is a short take on interesting academic work.
Melissa Melough, Assistant Professor of Nutrition Science, University of Delaware
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
G-SHOCK announces a limited-edition DW-5600 watch with Hong Kong illustrator Little Thunder
The “Unbreakable Dreams” collab features hand-drawn monochrome doodles on a white resin case
Exclusive to Hong Kong, it includes special merchandise and comes in a custom box
G-SHOCK has unveiled a limited-edition collaboration with renowned Hong Kong illustrator Little Thunder. Centering on the theme of “Unbreakable Dreams,” this partnership features a reimagined DW-5600 watch adorned with Little Thunder’s distinctive illustrated motifs. The design reinterprets the rugged timepiece through a fresh lens, showcasing a crisp white watch with a hand-drawn aesthetic, with motifs and graphics arriving in the form of playful monochrome doodles across the strap — evoking a childlike sense of wonder amidst chaos.
The collaborative DW-5600MW watch retains its hallmark durability and precision of the model, including a 24-hour countdown timer, multifunction alarm and electroluminescent backlight. Water-resistant up to 200 meters and housed in a white resin case, the watch balances performance with expressive design.
Exclusive to Hong Kong, the collaboration is a tribute to dreamers navigating unpredictable terrain, both literally and metaphorically. The watch also comes encased in a specially designed box, featuring Little Thunder’s artwork. In addition to the watch, special merch will also be available for a limited time through G-SHOCK Hong Kong, spanning T-shirts, enamel brooches and stickers. For more information, keep an eye out for G-SHOCK Hong Kong’s webstore and social media platforms.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Taylor Townsend was never given the luxury of a quiet rise. In 2012, at the age of 16, she was the junior world No. 1, an Australian Open champion and a Wimbledon doubles winner. But the praise quickly gave way to judgment.
She was the “it” girl of her tennis generation — until she wasn’t.
Townsend, who didn’t have the lean, sculpted look of so many other elite junior players, was barred from competing in the junior US Open and sent to its training center in Florida to focus on improving her fitness. Eventually, her USTA funding and support was revoked.
What are professional athletes supposed to look like? Townsend was an early test case in the highly uncomfortable setting of harsh public scrutiny.
“I have had to go through some of the hardest struggles and the most personal struggles in the public eye,” she told reporters here at the Mubadala Citi DC Open. “Some really very kind of intimate topics that had to be a topic of conversation literally around the world as a child and having to defend myself as a kid.
“It’s made me who I am, and it’s made me appreciate every step of the way, and being able to have somebody say, externally, ‘You look so happy playing,’ that’s a win.”
There was cause for joy on Friday when, 13 years after she reigned as the top junior, Townsend captured the No. 1 PIF WTA Ranking in doubles.
“It is a dream,” Townsend said. “It’s one of the goals that I set for myself when I actually began to think it was attainable.”
She and Zhang Shuai, playing together for the first time, advanced to the finals when the semifinal team of Emma Raducanu and Elena Rybakina — ER Squared as they’ve become known — retired after 25 minutes trailing 4-1. Both Raducanu and Rybakina are scheduled to play semifinal singles matches on Saturday.
The outcome ends Katerina Sinakova’s 46-week reign at No. 1. She and Townsend have been playing together since 2024, when they won titles at Wimbledon and the year-end WTA Tour championships. Back in January, they won the Australian Open title and followed it up at the WTA 1000 in Dubai.
When Siniakova chose to play singles at the Prague Open, Townsend approached Zhang, and the two won their first two matches. The 325 points for reaching the final puts Townsend ahead of Siniakova, who dropped last year’s 250 points that came from winning the Prague title with Barbora Krejcikova.
Townsend’s singles run ended Friday with a 6-4, 7-6 (4) loss to Leylah Fernandez. But earlier in the tournament, after beating No. 6 seed Sofia Kenin, Townsend presided over a sprawling, illuminating press conference.
“There hasn’t been anyone who has gone through what I went through since I went through it, so I think things have changed a little bit — which is great, right?” Townsend said. “When I was going through the whole body image thing, there was no body positivity movement. That didn’t exist.
“It was common to scrutinize body types and give a person a body archetype and what you should be and having to put people in this box. And now, throughout the years, it has evolved into shattering those boxes and basically people being able to accomplish whatever they want in their fields, however you look and whatever.”
