Joint association of genetic risk and accelerometer-based step count with cardiovascular disease: a UK-Biobank cohort study

Journal article

Lay Summary: This study found that walking more each day is linked to a lower risk of developing heart disease and stroke, especially for people with a higher inherited risk of these conditions.People with moderate or high inherited risk who took fewer than 6,500 steps per day were much more likely to develop heart disease or stroke than those who took 12,500 or more steps daily. The benefits of walking increased with more steps participants took up to about 10,000 steps per day, after which the risk levelled off in those at moderate or high inherited risk.

Authors: Birmpili, P; Brocklebank, L; Portas, L; Littlejohns, TJ; Doherty, A

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Journal: European Journal of Preventive Cardiology
• Article number: zwag306
• Publication date: 2026-06-09
• DOI: 10.1093/eurjpc/zwag306
• EISSN: 2047-4881
• ISSN: 2047-4873
• Language: English
• Keywords: accelerometry; genetic predisposition; cardiovascular disease; polygenic risk score; physical activity