Optimal Number of Steps per Day to Prevent All-Cause Mortality in People With Prediabetes and Diabetes

OBJECTIVE We aimed to examine the dose-response associations between the number of steps per day and all-cause mortality among adults with prediabetes and diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS This prospective study used data from 1,194 U.S. adults with prediabetes and 493 with diabetes for whom accelerometer-derived steps per day could be retrieved. Mortality was ascertained through the National Death Index (February 25, 2019). Splines were used to assess the dose-response associations between steps per day and all-cause mortality. RESULTS Over ∼9 years of follow-up, 200 adults with prediabetes and 138 with diabetes died. Nonlinear associations akin to an L shape were observed. We estimated an optimal dose of ∼10,000 steps per day to reduce the risk of all-cause mortality for both individuals with prediabetes and those with diabetes. CONCLUSIONS Accumulating more steps per day up to ∼10,000 steps per day may lower the risk of all-cause mortality of adults with prediabetes and diabetes.