Middle-aged women who take 6,000 or more steps per day are less likely to develop diabetes and metabolic syndrome, a new study suggests.

Metabolic syndrome refers to a group of conditions including obesity, high blood pressure and abnormal cholesterol levels, which combine to increase the risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes. Having just one of these conditions increases your risk of a serious disease. However in metabolic syndrome, when all the conditions are present together, the risk is even greater.

According to scientists, these findings are important because while it has long been established that physical activity lowers a person's risk of developing many conditions, this study shows that it does not matter how these 6,000 steps are taken. In other words, whether these steps came from planned physical activities or just normal daily activities, such as walking to the shop, the benefits are still the same.

The study looked at almost 300 women aged between 45 and 72. All underwent health checks and wore pedometers to record their daily steps.

Those who took 6,000 or more steps per day were considered active, while the remaining participants were considered inactive.

The scientists found that the active women were less likely to be obese, have metabolic syndrome or diabetes. This was irrespective of whether they had gone through the menopause - a time when the risk of developing these conditions increases.

The results also stood whether or not the women used hormone replacement therapy (HRT).

The team concluded that middle-aged women should aim to achieve at least 6,000 steps per day to help safeguard their health.

Details of these findings are published in the journal, Menopause.