Walking: A Potent Treatment for 7 Common Illnesses

Regular walking can be transformative for health, according to mountains of research and experts.

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Walking may be the single most important thing you can do for your health. Research has linked more steps to lower rates of the world’s most prevalent diseases and chronic conditions.

Research has shown that walking 7,000 steps per day, even at a slow pace, may cut the risk of early death by up to 70 percent.

For Karena Dawn—former triathlete, certified personal trainer, and founder of The Big Silence, a mental health nonprofit—walking became a lifeline during difficult moments.

“Walking has been one of the most powerful ways I’ve reconnected with myself, especially during times when anxiety would sneak in,” Dawn told The Epoch Times. “There’s something about stepping outside, feeling the earth beneath your feet, and moving with intention that brings you back to your center.”

Dawn has prioritized walking as part of her daily mental health routine. Whether it’s a 10-minute stroll between meetings or a longer walk through nature trails, each step offers her a chance to reset and reconnect.

Here are seven expert-backed benefits to walking.

1. Improves Depression

“We’re designed to move,“ Dr. Josef Witt-Doerring—psychiatrist, founder and CEO of TaperClinic, and former Food and Drug Administration medical officer—told The Epoch Times in an email. ”For most of human history, people walked every day for food, safety, and connection. But modern life has made movement optional, and that’s had serious consequences for our mental health.

“A lack of physical activity can increase stress, hurt sleep, and make us feel stuck emotionally. Walking helps reverse that.”

A 2024 research study involving 75 trials with more than 8,600 people found that walking can help reduce depression and anxiety. It worked well no matter how often, how long, or where people walked, indoors or outdoors. Those with depression experienced the biggest improvements. Walking was as effective as other treatments for easing symptoms, although more research is needed on slower, low-intensity walking.

Witt-Doerring said for many people with mild to moderate depression, walking can be just as effective as medication—without the common side effects of antidepressants such as weight gain, sexual dysfunction, or withdrawal symptoms.

“If it were a pill, walking would probably be one of the most prescribed treatments in the world,“ he said. ”But since it’s free and can’t be patented, it’s often overlooked, even though it works.”

2. Reduces Dementia Risk

Dementia is a progressive condition affecting memory, thinking, and daily functioning, especially in older adults. A cohort study published in JAMA Neurology suggests that accumulating approximately 10,000 steps per day and walking at a higher intensity may be linked to a lower risk of dementia onset.

“Walking helps improve cerebral blood flow, which is essential for supporting detoxification and repair processes, and for keeping the brain regions involved in complex thought alive and healthy as we age,” Thompson Maesaka, neurological physical therapist and owner of The Neural Connection, told The Epoch Times.

“This is especially true for the frontal lobes, which are affected early in dementia.”

Other studies support these findings as well. A 2023 study of adults aged 65 to 90 found that those who began high-intensity walking before 65 had better episodic memory later in life. Episodic memory is a type of long-term memory that reflects the time and place of personal experiences and events and is commonly impaired in Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia.

3. Prevents Coronary Artery Disease

Although walking at any speed is healthy, a brisk pace may help prevent heart problems—even in those with no previous history of the condition. Authors of a meta-analysis involving more than 160,000 adults analyzed six groups from four different studies and found that those with the quickest walking pace had a 46 percent lower risk of developing coronary artery disease than slower walkers.

In coronary artery disease, the blood vessels that supply the heart with oxygen-rich blood become narrow or blocked. Narrowing or blockage happens because of a buildup of fatty deposits (plaque) inside the arteries. When the heart doesn’t get enough blood, it can cause chest pain, shortness of breath, or even a heart attack.

“Walking pace assesses not only physical activity capacity, but also cardiopulmonary health, musculoskeletal strength, balance, and coordination,” Dr. Amy Offutt, integrative medicine physician, medical director, and co-owner of Heart & Soul Integrative Health, told The Epoch Times in an email.

“These factors together reflect overall health and well-being. Since most people can walk, it makes walking a widely accessible way to assess heart health and cardiovascular risk.”

A study published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology found that among all lifestyle factors, only self-reported walking pace was a useful predictor of death risk—people who walked faster had a lower risk of dying from any cause or cardiovascular disease.

The study examined nearly 300,000 adults in the UK without cancer or heart disease and followed them for a median of 6.9 years to determine whether lifestyle habits such as diet, exercise, and physical function could better predict death risk compared with traditional factors such as age, smoking, blood pressure, and cholesterol. The results concluded that adding walking pace to traditional risk factors improved the accuracy of death risk predictions in both men and women, more so than traditional factors alone.

4. Slows Joint Damage

Joint-related diseases such as arthritis can affect daily life and lead to increased pain and limited movement. However, regular walking can help slow their progression and improve joint function.

A 2022 observational study using data following a cohort of individuals aged 50 or older suggested that walking may ease symptoms and slow the progression of osteoarthritis. Walkers had a 40 percent lower risk of developing new frequent knee pain and a 20 percent decreased risk of joint narrowing—a sign of osteoarthritis progression—compared with those who didn’t walk. These findings support walking as a recommended part of managing the condition.

5. Manages Diabetes

Taking a daily walk could help manage blood sugar levels and reduce the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. A systematic review found that regular walking—especially when guided or supervised—can improve blood sugar levels, heart and lung fitness, body weight, and blood pressure. Even short walks during breaks from sitting can help improve blood sugar in mostly sedentary people.

“Walking increases the body’s sensitivity to insulin, helping it use glucose more efficiently and easing the burden on the pancreas—even in people with prediabetes or Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes,” Dr. Lisal Folsom, endocrinologist at the Wendy Novak Diabetes Institute, part of Norton Healthcare and Norton Children’s, told The Epoch Times in an email.

Those with diabetes who remain inactive face an increased risk of long-term complications, including heart disease, stroke, vascular disease, and microvascular issues such as eye, kidney, and nerve damage.

A study from Chile involving 5,520 participants examined the link between walking pace and diabetes. It found that people who walked at an average or brisk pace had lower blood sugar levels and a reduced risk of Type 2 diabetes compared with slow walkers, with the strongest benefits seen in brisk walkers.

While walking is beneficial for health and well-being, Folsom said walking alone isn’t enough to prevent diabetes. A combination of “healthy nutrition choices and an active lifestyle” is essential for maintaining blood sugar levels.

6. Improves Lung Function

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a long-term lung condition that causes breathing difficulties because of airflow blockage, often caused by smoking or exposure to air pollutants.

A study conducted in Taiwan found that mindful walking—focusing on breathing and body awareness while walking—can help people with COPD, especially those with milder symptoms, improve their fitness. In the study, 78 people with COPD were divided into two groups. One group did mindful walking for eight weeks, and the other only received regular care. The mindful walking group walked significantly farther than the other group in a six-minute test and continued to improve even after the program ended.

“Mindful walking helps individuals with COPD breathe better,” Dr. Emma Lin, board-certified pulmonologist and co-founder of ReadyO2, told The Epoch Times in an email. “It’s walking with purpose—focusing on breath, body, and speed. I’ve seen patients go from panicked and short of breath to calm and in control, which is a huge success.”

For those with severe COPD, Lin advises being mindful of certain limitations. She recommends using oxygen if available, taking breaks, avoiding walking in bad weather, and keeping a pulse oximeter nearby.

“Some individuals may try to push themselves too hard, but with COPD, it’s important to take it slow and steady,” Lin said.

A personal pulse oximeter is a small, clip-like device that measures oxygen saturation in the blood and heart rate.

7. Promotes Healthy Aging

Walking is a natural support system for healthy aging, helping maintain the body’s structural foundation, including bones, joints, and muscles. Research suggests that regular exercise helps keep bones strong and can slow bone loss as we age. It explains how physical activity builds bones during youth, helps maintain bone density, and lowers the risk of fractures and osteoporosis later in life.

Moreover, a 2019 study of 679 people with an average age of 65 found that doing interval walking—alternating three minutes of fast and slow walking—four or more days per week for five months helped improve heart and lung fitness by 14 percent and reduced lifestyle-related disease risk by 17 percent. The benefits were linked mostly to the amount of fast walking done each week, especially up to 50 minutes. Slow walking didn’t have the same impact, indicating that walking faster for short bursts is especially helpful for older adults’ health.

Similarly, a review of 73 studies with nearly 6,000 people confirmed that moderate, consistent walking can help reduce systolic and diastolic blood pressure for those 41 years and older. Together, these studies reinforce the idea that walking, whether at a steady pace or with short bursts of speed, is a powerful and accessible way to support heart and overall health.

Keep in mind that walking with friends can help make the practice more routine.

“Each morning, my friend and I would wake up early and go on what we called our ‘anxiety walks,'“ Dawn told The Epoch Times. ”We’d walk, talk through everything we were feeling, breathe it out, and remind each other why we were doing it—to share something beautiful with our community.”

For older adults, starting slow and using support such as canes, proper footwear, and familiar paths can reduce the risk of falls. Walking with a little assistance helps build confidence. The goal is consistency, not perfection. Even if it’s just five minutes at a time, it can help you develop a routine.