Experts advise taking stairs to reduce your risk of heart disease and premature death

Cardiovascular diseases They can be largely prevented through activities such as exercise.. However, more than one in four adults worldwide do not meet recommended levels of physical activity. Lack of time, laziness or lack of money are usually the main excuses for not playing sports.

Collaborative work from the University of East Anglia and Norwich University Hospitals Trust in the UK, presented at ESC Preventive Cardiology 2024, the scientific congress of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC), highlights activities that are often overlooked. and which, in addition to being free, has many health benefits.

Researchers advise taking the stairs, because it is a practical and easily accessible form of physical activity. If you have access to the stairs or elevator, they recommend opting for the stairs “because will help your heart“Says study author Dr Sophie Paddock from the University of East Anglia and Norwich University Hospitals Trust in the UK.

“Even short periods of physical activity have beneficial effects on health” and short periods of stair climbing should be an achievable goal that can be integrated into daily life.“, it is said.

Specifically, this study examined whether stair climbing as a form of physical activity could play a role in role in reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease and premature death. To do this, the authors compiled the best available evidence on this topic and conducted a meta-analysis. Studies were included regardless of the number of flights of stairs or the speed of ascent.

Was nine studies with 480,479 participants in the final analysis. The study population included both healthy participants and those with a history of heart attack or peripheral artery disease. Ages ranged from 35 to 84 years, and 53% of participants were women.

Compared to not taking the stairs, Climbing stairs was associated with a 24 percent lower risk of death from any cause and a 39 percent lower chance of death from cardiovascular disease.. Climbing stairs is also associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, including heart attacks, heart failure and stroke.

“Based on these results, we would encourage people to incorporate stair climbing into their daily lives. Our study showed that The more steps you climb, the greater the benefit., but this needs to be confirmed. So, whether at work, at home or anywhere else, use the stairs,” concludes Dr. Paddock.