New research is challenging the long-standing belief that you need to walk at least 10,000 steps—or about 5 miles—a day to stay healthy.

The meta-analysis, published in The Lancet Public Health, found that walking just 7,000 steps a day may provide protection against a range of diseases, including cancer, dementia, and heart disease. These findings come at a time when one in three adults worldwide is physically inactive, a public health crisis that’s estimated to contribute to 8% of non-communicable diseases each year. The new paper adds to a growing body of evidence that any movement is better than none—and that even shorter bursts of activity can keep your heart, brain, and lungs strong and healthy. “Every step counts, especially when it comes to reducing risk for all adults from cardiovascular disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes, and depressive symptoms,” Mladen Golubic, MD, PhD, a professor of clinical family and community medicine and medical director of the Osher Center for Integrative Health at the University of Cincinnati, told Health.

To understand how daily steps impact various health outcomes, researchers analyzed 57 studies including more than 160,000 adults located around the world. Compared to people who walked 2,000 steps a day, those who took 7,000 daily steps experienced a wide range of health benefits, including: 38% lower risk of dementia; 25% lower risk of cardiovascular disease; 22% lower risk of depressive symptoms; 14% lower risk of diabetes; 6% lower risk of cancer; 28% lower risk of falls; 47% lower risk of death; 47% lower risk of dying from heart disease; 37% lower risk of dying from cancer.

The team also found that walking fewer than 7,000 steps—roughly 3.5 miles—a day was linked to health benefits. For example, taking 4,000 daily steps, which equates to nearly 2 miles, was associated with a 36% lower risk of death compared to 2,000 steps. However, the researchers did note a handful of limitations. For certain conditions, including cancer and dementia, data were only supported by a few studies. Some of the reports included in the analysis also didn’t factor in health status or frailty, which could have influenced the results. Additionally, the majority of the included studies were conducted in high-income countries, which means the findings may not apply to a larger population.