Walking faster may matter as much as walking more, according to a large new study.

The research, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, tracked 64,743 UK adults with an average age of about 62. Participants wore wrist activity trackers for seven days and were followed for around eight years.

Among people taking fewer than 5,000 steps a day, those who walked at a peak pace of about 80 steps per minute had a 28 per cent lower risk of death from any cause than the least active group. That put them on par with people taking up to 7,500 steps at a slower pace.

The lowest risk was seen in people walking 7,500 to 10,000 steps a day, especially at about 100 steps per minute. Cardiovascular deaths showed a similar pattern.

Professor Emmanuel Stamatakis of Monash University, the senior author, said the findings offer behavioural flexibility for people who cannot walk far or fast.

The study is observational, so it shows an association rather than proof that changing pace directly lowers mortality.