Photo Credit: Graphicnoi

The daily step count needed to reduce the risk for obesity varies based on an individual’s genetic risk for higher BMI, according to a study published in JAMA Network Open. Evan L. Brittain, MD, MSc, and colleagues conducted a retrospective cohort study involving participants from the All of Us Research Program. Overall, 3,124 participants met the inclusion criteria; of these, 3,051 had available data. The researchers found that the incidence of obesity increased from 13% to 43% in the lowest and highest quartiles of polygenic risk score (PRS) for BMI. Compared to participants with PRS in the 25th percentile, those at the 75th percentile had an 81% increase in obesity risk and a 43% reduction in mean step count. To have a comparable risk for obesity, participants with a PRS in the 75th percentile would need to walk a mean of 2,280 more steps per day than those at the 50th percentile. To have a comparable risk for obesity as those at the 25th percentile of BMI, those at the 75th percentile would need to walk an additional 3,460; 4,430; 5,380; and 6,350 steps/day with a baseline BMI of 22, 24, 26, and 28 kg/m², respectively.