Climbing stairs can help with longevity, study shows

Climbing stairs may be related to longevity according to a new study presented last Friday (26) at ESC Preventive Cardiology 2024scientific congress of the European Society of Cardiology.

According to the study, this happens because climbing stairs is an accessible and practical type of physical activity that may be related to a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and premature death.

“If you have the option of taking stairs or a lift, take the stairs as it will help your heart,” said study author Sophie Paddock of the University of East Anglia and Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital Foundation Trust, Norwich, UK, in a press release. “Even brief periods of physical activity have beneficial health impacts, and short periods of climbing stairs should be an achievable goal for integration into daily routines.”

To reach this conclusion, the researchers analyzed scientific evidence already available on the topic and conducted a meta-analysis.

In total, nine studies with 480,479 participants were analyzed. Healthy participants and people with a history of heart attack or peripheral artery disease were included. Participants' ages ranged from 35 to 84 years, and 53% were women.

According to the study, climbing stairs was associated with a 24% reduction in the risk of death from any cause and a 39% lower likelihood of dying from cardiovascular disease. Climbing stairs has also been linked to a reduced risk of cardiovascular diseases, including heart attack, heart failure and stroke.

“Based on these results, we would encourage people to incorporate stair climbing into their daily lives. Our study suggested that the more stairs we climb, the greater the benefits – but this needs to be confirmed. So, whether at work, at home or elsewhere, use the stairs,” says Paddock.

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