Taking the Stairs Could Slash Your Risk of Early Death, a New Study Says

While the link between physical activity and better heart health is well-established, the new research shows an “association with something as simple and accessible as stair climbing,” says the senior author Vassilios Vassiliou, PhD, a clinical professor of cardiac medicine and a consultant cardiologist at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, England.

“Physical activity recommendations can sometimes feel quite structured, for example going to the gym or setting aside time specifically to exercise,” he says. “Our findings support the idea that activity accumulated as part of everyday life may also be important.”

Stair climbing is an activity you can incorporate into your daily routine, “without needing extra time, equipment, or a gym membership,” Dr. Vassiliou says.

Stair Climbing Lowered the Risk of Mortality

The systematic review and meta-analysis, published in the American Journal of Cardiovascular Drugs, included nine studies with more than 480,000 participants who were followed for 14 years on average. The study population included both healthy adults and those with a history of heart problems, all between ages 25 and 84. They were roughly evenly split between men and women.

Researchers found that participants who regularly climbed stairs had a 39 percent lower risk of cardiovascular mortality and a 24 percent lower risk of death from any cause, Vassiliou says.

“We also found evidence suggesting that stair climbing was associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, including heart attack, stroke, and heart failure,” he adds.

A major strength of the research is the large number of participants included, Vassiliou says. “To our knowledge, this is also the first systematic review and meta-analysis specifically looking at stair climbing and cardiovascular risk, so it brings together the available evidence on a very practical form of physical activity.”

One limitation of the research is that it’s observational, meaning it can’t prove that stair climbing itself reduced mortality risk; it only shows an association, he explains. There was also variation in how the different studies measured stair climbing, including self-reported information.

The research can’t “yet give people a precise prescription for how many flights they should climb each day,” Vassiliou says, adding that this should be the subject of future studies.

Why Taking the Stairs Is So Beneficial

Going up stairs challenges your cardiovascular and musculoskeletal systems, because you’re pushing against gravity, says Alex Rothstein, EdD, the coordinator of exercise science at the New York Institute of Technology in Long Island. Dr. Rothstein was not involved with the research.

“Stairs tend to be challenging for just about everybody to a greater extent than, say, walking,” he says.

The ability to walk up stairs is a functional component in your daily life, Rothstein says, so it’s important to keep doing it so your body remains capable of the movement. Taking the stairs can also be an “exercise snack” to add to your daily routine, he adds.

“We also know that cardiorespiratory fitness itself is strongly linked with cardiovascular health and longevity,” he says.

But stair climbing is just one way to boost cardiovascular health, Vassiliou adds. You should also eat a healthy diet, maintain a healthy weight, avoid smoking, and keep your blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol levels in check.

How to Make Taking the Stairs More Appealing

If you don’t enjoy taking the stairs, Rothstein says to start small: You don’t have to run up stairs, get incredibly winded, or have burning muscles in order to benefit.

For instance, go up two flights of stairs and take the elevator the rest of the way. Or, if you’re on an escalator, alternate between walking up a few steps and standing, and then progress to adding more climbing.

To make a game out of it, Rothstein suggests counting the steps. You could also alternate between taking one stair and then two stairs, with a larger step, for a small challenge.

To make stair climbing easier on the joints, he offers the following tips:

• Hinge slightly forward at the hips, which activates your glutes and hamstrings and puts less pressure on your knees.
• Step with your whole foot on the stair and push through the entire foot to move upward. This also takes the pressure off your knees. Avoid stepping up on just your toes.