Ask many people in peak physical shape how they keep well, and the answer often involves long sessions at the gym.
But new research indicates that a far simpler daily habit — taking the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator — may be linked to a longer life.
Researchers at the University of East Anglia in the UK reviewed data from nine studies that included more than 450,000 participants.
Their analysis found that people who climbed stairs “regularly” had a 39 percent lower risk of dying from heart disease compared with those who did not.
During the 14-year follow-up period, those who used stairs also had a 24 percent lower risk of death from any cause than people who typically relied on an elevator.
Dr Sophie Paddock, a cardiologist involved in the study, said: “We found a consistent association between stair climbing and lower risk of both cardiovascular death and overall mortality.
“Unlike going to the gym or doing a workout, climbing the stairs is something you can easily fit into your day at home, at work or when you’re out. It’s a good option for people who don’t have much time or easy access to exercise.”
She added: “If your choice is between taking the stairs or the [elevator], go for the stairs. Even brief bursts of physical activity have beneficial heart health impacts.”
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Scientists have found that taking the stairs could help you live longer
The researchers did not say how often someone would need to climb the stairs to get heart health benefits, saying ‘further research’ was needed.
But their review did cite a paper, one of the largest analyses of its kind, that suggested climbing about six flights per day, or roughly 60 steps, gives heart health benefits.
The team has also completed previous research that found just a few minutes of stair climbing per day may lower heart disease risk factors such as blood pressure.
When someone climbs the stairs, muscles must exert a greater force than during walking to lift someone off the ground.
This causes them to burn energy more quickly, causing the body to raise the heart rate to supply them with added oxygen and nutrients. The thigh muscles are the largest in the body.
It’s this sudden burst of heart activity that researchers say can boost the organ’s health and that may slash the risk of heart problems.
Other muscles must also work to keep someone upright, which researchers say can strengthen them and reduce the risks of falls in old age.
In the analysis, published in the American Journal of Cardiovascular Drugs, participants were 35 to 84 years old on average. Half were female, and they were tracked for 14 years on average.
The studies varied in how they measured how often someone took the stairs. Some asked participants to rate their ability to climb several flights of stairs without resting, while others asked how many flights they climbed over a given time period.
All the studies relied on self-reported data and none actually watched participants climbing the stairs to confirm how often they used them, which was the main limitation of the review.
Heart disease is the biggest killer in America and kills about one person every 34 seconds, equivalent to more than 900,000 deaths per year.
People who are overweight or obese, have high blood pressure, are physically inactive or drink alcohol excessively are most at risk of the condition.
Researchers say it is easily prevented, however, through avoiding smoking, keeping cholesterol levels low, eating a healthy diet and exercising.
Dr Vassilios Vassiliou, a cardiologist who led the study, said: ‘Taking the stairs is a practical and often overlooked way to build physical activity into daily life.
‘Our study shows that it could also help to prevent heart disease.’
