According to research presented today at the European Society of Cardiology’s (ESC) Preventive Cardiology 2024 congress, in Athens, climbing the stairs is associated with a longer life and reduced cardiovascular disease.
“If you have the choice of taking the stairs or the lift, go for the stairs as it will help your heart,” said study author Dr. Sophie Paddock of the University of East Anglia and Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital Foundation Trust, Norwich, UK. “Even brief bursts of physical activity have beneficial health impacts, and short bouts of stair climbing should be an achievable target to integrate into daily routines.”
Cardiovascular disease is largely preventable through activities like exercise, but more than one in four adults worldwide do not meet recommended levels of physical activity. Stair climbing is regarded as a practical and easily accessible form of physical activity which is apparently overlooked. The study investigated whether climbing stairs, as a form of physical activity, could play a role in reducing the risks of cardiovascular disease and premature death.
How did the cardiovascular-stair climbing study work?
The authors collected the best available evidence on the topic and carried out a meta-analysis. Studies were included regardless of the number of flights of stairs and the speed they were being climbed at. There were nine studies with 480,479 participants in the final analysis.
The study population included both healthy participants and those with a previous history of heart attack or peripheral arterial disease. Ages ranged from 35 to 84 years old and 53 percent of participants were women.
Compared with not climbing stairs, stair climbing was associated with a 24 percent reduced risk of dying from any cause and a 39 percent lower likelihood of dying from cardiovascular disease. Stair climbing was also associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease including heart attack, heart failure, and stroke.
In a press release from the ESC, Dr. Paddock said: “Based on these results, we would encourage people to incorporate stair climbing into their day-to-day lives. Our study suggested that the more stairs climbed, the greater the benefits – but this needs to be confirmed. So, whether at work, home, or elsewhere, take the stairs.”
The ESC brings together healthcare professionals from more than 150 countries, working to advance cardiovascular medicine and help people to live longer, healthier lives.
There was no direct funding for this study. Three authors are National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) funded academic clinical fellows, and one author is funded by a NIHR doctoral research fellowship.
ESC Preventive Cardiology 2024 took place from April 25th to April 27th at the Megaron – Athens International Conference Centre, Greece.
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