Climb Stairs To Extend Both Health And Lifespan

“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.”

Over 1 in 4 adults around the world are not getting the recommended levels of physical activity, which is more than apparent if you take into account the prevalence of obesity.  The excessive accumulation of adipose tissue (fat) in the myocardium leads to structural and functional alteration, the numerous hormones secreted by adipose tissue create proinflammatory and prothrombotic states, predisposing one to coronary heart disease, heart failure, and sudden death. Obesity has been associated with hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes, or insulin resistance, and elevated levels of fibrinogen and C-reactive protein, all of which increase the risk of CVD events. In addition to CVD, obesity has been shown to increase the risk of high blood pressure (HBP).

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in America, despite the fact that it is largely preventable via lifestyle choices such as diet and exercise/physical activity. Walking is perhaps the most accessible and easy form of exercise. Climbing stairs is another practical and easily accessible form of exercise that is most often overlooked in lieu of easier alternatives such as elevators and escalators. This study investigated whether climbing the stairs could help to reduce the risks of premature death and CVD.

The CDC recommends that most adults should be getting 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise every week, this could translate into about 30 minutes of brisk walking for 5 days a week. Additionally, the CDC also recommends including two days of muscle-strengthening exercises that engage all the major muscle groups, this could translate to swimming, lifting weights, working with resistance bands, cycling, rollerskating, dancing, push-ups, sit-ups, squats, burpees, heavy gardening, such as digging and shoveling, yoga, Tai Chi, and climbing stairs. 

For this study, the researchers conducted a meta-analysis of the best available evidence including studies regardless of the number of flights of stairs or the speed of stair climbing. The final analysis involved nine studies totaling 480,479 participants between the ages of 35 to 84 years old who were healthy or had a previous history of heart attack or peripheral arterial disease. 

The analysis revealed that compared with not climbing the stairs, electing to take the stairs was associated with a 24% reduced risk of dying from any cause and a 39% lower likelihood of dying from cardiovascular disease. Additionally, taking the stairs was linked with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, including stroke, heart failure, and heart attack. 

“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,” said Paddock.