Taking the stairs could be a smart move for your heart health.
A recent study published in the journal Atherosclerosis found that regular stair climbing could reduce the risk of certain types of heart disease.
Specifically, the research found that climbing five flights of stairs a day could reduce the risk of atherosclerosis – or atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) – by 20%.
The study, conducted by researchers at Tulane University in Louisiana and Peking University in Beijing, analysed more than 12 years of data from the UK Biobank on 458,860 adults.
The results showed a lower risk of ASCVD, even among those who were otherwise more susceptible to the disease.
Participants who did not consistently take the stairs had a higher risk of ASCVD than those who did.
According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), atherosclerosis is a “common condition that develops when a sticky substance called plaque builds up inside your arteries”.
Heart disease related to ASCVD is the leading cause of death in the US, according to the NIH.
About half of middle-aged Americans have the condition and are unaware of it.
The study findings support the belief that stair climbing could be a “convenient and time-efficient way of vigorous exercise to reduce the risk of heart disease,” said Tulane University Professor Lu Qi, M.D., PhD, one of the study’s authors.
In addition to potentially reducing the risk of heart disease, taking the stairs is also an effective form of high-intensity aerobic exercise, according to Dr Laxmi Mehta, a non-invasive cardiologist at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.
“Routine, short bouts of high-intensity exercise, such as climbing stairs, on a regular basis can improve heart disease risk factors with lower blood pressure and a healthier weight,” she told Fox News Digital.
“Many people don’t get the recommended amount of aerobic exercise due to time constraints, lack of access to exercise equipment, cost and other reasons.”
Ten minutes of activity burns about 100 calories, according to the American Council of Exercise.
The benefits come not only from the extra steps, but also from the added incline.
“Compared to walking on a flat surface, climbing stairs requires people to lift their own body weight against the forces of gravity, which puts extra stress on the muscles and cardio-respiratory system,” Kelly Jones, a performance nutritionist and consultant in Philadelphia, told Fox News Digital in an email.
“Working against gravity also improves bone health, in addition to the muscle strength benefits,” she added.
Regular stair-climbing better equips the body to recover from extra stress to become “stronger and more metabolically efficient, which has a positive impact on health”, the doctor added.
“Daily stair climbing is associated with a reduced risk of metabolic syndrome, a group of conditions that increase the risk of premature death,” Jones said.
“This includes markers such as blood cholesterol and triglycerides, blood sugar and blood pressure.”
Experts recommend 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity exercise or 75 minutes a week of vigorous aerobic activity, Mehta said.
“If someone has heart symptoms or plans to do vigorous stair climbing, they should check with their doctor first,” she advised. “And if they develop symptoms while climbing stairs, they should stop and talk to their doctor.”
