“If you have the chance, take the stairs instead of the elevator.” It helps your heart,” said study author Sophie Paddock, from the University of East Anglia and Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital. “Even short bursts of physical activity have positive effects on health, and anyone can easily incorporate stair climbing into their daily routine,” Paddock said.
Movement is good for health
Researchers conducted a meta-analysis of nine studies on the health benefits of stair climbing.
The study population consisted of healthy people, as well as those with a history of myocardial infarction or peripheral artery disease.
Participants who climbed stairs were found to have a 24 percent risk of death during the study period. smaller.
Another advantage is 39 percent. a lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease and a lower overall risk of developing cardiovascular disease, heart attack, heart failure, or stroke.
The researchers presented their findings at the ESC Preventive Cardiology 2024 scientific congress of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) in Athens.
“The study findings support the idea that every movement counts when it comes to cardiovascular wellness and optimizing longevity,” said Adedapo Iluyomade, MD, a preventive cardiology fellow at the Miami Heart and Vascular Institute in Florida, who was not involved in the study.
The head of Kulautuva Rehabilitation Hospital, cardiologist prof. Raimonds Kubilius.
“Climbing the stairs is a practical and easily accessible form of physical activity that we often ignore,” R. Kubilius wrote on his personal Facebook account.
A couple of steps is great
When it comes to improving health, doctors constantly emphasize that any amount of physical activity is better than nothing.
“To incorporate more stair climbing into your daily routine, I would recommend starting with small steps and gradually increasing the frequency and duration of stair climbing,” said A.IIuyomade.
It is worth choosing the stairs instead of the elevator at work or at home. Even a couple of steps is great.
“Over time, a person could aim to climb more stairs or climb faster,” advised A.IIuyomade.
He added that specific goals, such as a set number of steps per day, provide additional motivation. It is also important to listen to the body’s signals and take breaks or change the intensity of physical activity when necessary.
Based on information from Medical News Today.
