Scientists from Tulane University found that climbing more than 50 stairs a day can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease by 20%. The research was published in the journal atherosclerosis.
The authors used data from 450,000 adults from the UK Biobank. The average follow-up period was 12.5 years. Researchers calculated participants’ susceptibility to cardiovascular disease based on family medical history and lifestyle.
The study found that climbing stairs every day was associated with a 20% lower risk of heart disease, with the more stairs a person climbed, the lower the risk. Climbing stairs has been proven to be especially beneficial for people at highest risk.
“Short periods of high-intensity exercise while climbing stairs is an effective and low-impact way to improve cardiac, respiratory health and lipid profiles, especially among those who cannot meet current physical activity recommendations. “These results highlight the potential benefits of stair climbing as a primary prevention measure for cardiovascular disease,” the authors write.
The World Health Organization recommends that people aged 18-64 engage in at least 150-300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity per week or at least 75-150 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity per week. You should also do exercises to improve muscle strength twice a week or more often.
Previous scientists I learnedBursts of activity throughout the day reduce the risk of stroke.