Taking the Stairs Tied to 39% Lower Risk of Dying From Heart Disease

A meta-analysis by the University of East Anglia and the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, pooling nine studies and more than 480,000 people followed for a median of 14 years, found regular stair climbers were 39% less likely to die from cardiovascular disease and 24% less likely to die from any cause, with lower risks of heart attack, stroke and heart failure. The results appear in the American Journal of Cardiovascular Drugs.

Key Takeaways

A meta-analysis by the University of East Anglia and the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, pooling nine studies and more than 480,000 people followed for a median of 14 years, found regular stair climbers were 39% less likely to die from cardiovascular disease and 24% less likely to die from any cause, with lower risks of heart attack, stroke and heart failure.
The results appear in the American Journal of Cardiovascular Drugs.

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Simply choosing the stairs could be one of the cheapest life-extending decisions available. A large meta-analysis by the University of East Anglia and the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital found that people who regularly climbed stairs were 39% less likely to die from cardiovascular disease and 24% less likely to die from any cause than people who rarely did.

The researchers reviewed nearly 1,900 studies before pooling data from more than 480,000 people in nine high-quality studies, followed for a median of 14 years. Participants ranged from 35 to 84 years old; 53% were women, and the group included both healthy individuals and people with a history of heart problems. Regular stair climbing was also associated with lower risks of heart attack, stroke and heart failure. The results are published in the American Journal of Cardiovascular Drugs.

"Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide — with cases nearly doubling between 1990 and 2019," said Professor Vassilios Vassiliou of UEA's Norwich Medical School. "But it is largely preventable through a healthy lifestyle... Taking the stairs is a practical and often overlooked way to build physical activity into daily life."

"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," added Dr. Sophie Paddock, a cardiology specialist registrar at NNUH. "So if you have the choice of taking the stairs or the lift, go for the stairs as it will help your heart."

Earlier research cited in the analysis found that even a few minutes of stair climbing several times a week improves cardiorespiratory fitness and lowers cholesterol; one large cohort suggested that roughly six flights per day may provide the greatest benefit. With more than a quarter of adults worldwide failing to meet recommended activity levels, the authors call stair climbing "a realistic, scalable intervention" — while noting it is not suitable for everyone, particularly people with mobility or joint problems.