According to a study presented at ESC Preventive Cardiology 2024, climbing stairs is associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and death. Even though cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the world, it is largely preventable through regular exercise. However, about one in four adults do not meet the recommended levels of physical activity. Climbing stairs is an easily accessible way to incorporate physical activity into your daily routine.
To find out if climbing stairs could reduce the risks of cardiovascular disease and premature death, UK researchers examined nine studies that included a total of 4,80,479 participants, aged 35 to 84 years, and 53 per cent women.
The research included participants who were healthy as well as those with a previous history of heart attack or peripheral arterial disease. Studies were included regardless of the number of stairs people climbed or the speed at which they climbed. Climbing stairs was associated with a 24 per cent reduced risk of dying from any cause and a 39 per cent lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, compared with not climbing stairs.
Stair climbing was also linked with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease including heart attack, heart failure and stroke. “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 study author said.
