Research presented at ESC Preventive Cardiology 2024, a scientific congress of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC), suggests that climbing stairs is linked to a longer life.
Stairs, not elevator
Study author Dr Sophie Paddock, from the University of East Anglia and Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital Foundation Trust, Norwich, UK, advised taking the stairs over the lift if doing so could benefit your heart.
“Even short bursts of physical activity have a beneficial impact on health, and short bouts of stair climbing should be an achievable goal to incorporate into your daily routine.”
Exercise and other preventive measures can help avoid cardiovascular disease. But globally, more than one in four adults do not engage in the recommended amounts of physical activity.
A useful and convenient exercise
Often overlooked, stair climbing is a useful and convenient type of exercise. This study looked at whether stair climbing as a physical activity could reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and premature death.
The authors performed a meta-analysis after compiling the best available data on this topic. Studies were included regardless of the number of steps and rate of stair climbing. In the end, 480,479 participants from nine studies were analyzed.
stairs / Photo source: dreamstime.com
Study participants who had previously suffered from peripheral artery disease or heart attack were mixed in terms of health status. The age of the participants ranged from 35 to 84 years, with 53% of them being women.
Climbing stairs lowers the risk of death from any cause by 24%
Stair climbing was linked to a 24% lower risk of dying from any cause and a 39% lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, compared to people who didn’t climb stairs.
There is also evidence that stair climbing reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks, heart failure and strokes.
“Based on these results, we encourage people to incorporate stair climbing into their daily lives,” said Dr. Paddock. “Although further research is needed, our study indicated that the benefits increased with the number of stairs climbed. Take the stairs wherever you are – at work, at home or elsewhere,” according to medicalxpress.
