Climbing more than five flights of stairs daily may lower heart disease risk by 20%
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Key takeaways:
- Climbing more than five flights of stairs daily was tied to a 20% reduction in ASCVD risk.
- People who started but then stopped daily stair climbing had greater ASCVD risk vs. those who never climbed stairs.
Adults who reported climbing more than five flights of stairs daily were 20% less likely to develop atherosclerotic CVD over 12 years compared with those who reported never climbing stairs, according to data from a UK Biobank analysis.
“Short bursts of high-intensity stair climbing are a time-efficient way to improve cardiorespiratory fitness and lipid profile, especially among those unable to achieve the current physical activity recommendations,” Lu Qi, MD, PhD, FAHA, HCA Regents Distinguished Chair and professor in the department of epidemiology at Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, and colleagues wrote in the study background. “Previous work has mainly focused on a cluster of ASCVD risk factors, such as metabolic syndrome and diabetes; however, the long-term effects of stair climbing intensity or changes in stair climbing for the prevention of ASCVD are sparse.”
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In a prospective study, Qi and colleagues analyzed data from 458,860 adults without CVD at baseline who participated in the UK Biobank (mean age, 56 years; 56% women). Researchers collected information about stair climbing, sociodemographic and lifestyle factors at baseline (2006-2010) and during a web-based resurvey in 2014 and assessed levels of genetic risk score, 10-year risk for ASCVD and self-reported family history of ASCVD. Median follow-up was 12.5 years.
The total number of times spent on stair climbing per day was determined by the question, “At home, during the last 4 weeks, about how many times a day do you climb a flight of stairs? (approximately 10 steps).” There were six options that addressed frequency. Researchers then classified changes in stair climbing between baseline and resurvey visits into four categories: no stair climbing (participants who reported five times or less per day of stair climbing at both exams); started stair climbing (participants who did not report stair climbing at baseline but did so at the second exam); stopped stair climbing (stair climbing at baseline but not at the second exam); or maintained stair climbing (stair climbing reported at both exams).
The findings were published in Atherosclerosis.
During follow-up, researchers observed 39,043 cases of ASCVD, 30,718 cases of CAD and 10,521 cases of ischemic stroke.
Compared with participants who reported never climbing stairs, adjusted HRs for ASCVD were 0.97 (95% CI, 0.93-1.01), 0.84 (95% CI, 0.82-0.87), 0.78 (95% CI, 0.75-0.81), 0.77 (95% CI, 0.73-0.8) and 0.81 (95% CI, 0.77-0.85) for stair climbing of one to five, six to 10, 11 to 15, 16 to 20 and more than 21 times per day, respectively. Results were similar for risk for CAD and ischemic stroke.
When stratified by different disease susceptibility based on the genetic risk score for CAD and ischemic stroke, 10-year ASCVD risk and family history of ASCVD, the protective association of stair climbing was attenuated by increasing levels of disease susceptibility.
Researchers also found that, compared with people who reported no stair climbing at baseline and at resurvey, those who reported climbing stairs daily at baseline who later stopped at resurvey were 32% more likely to develop ASCVD (HR = 1.32; 95% CI, 1.06-1.65).
“Overall, higher intensity of stair climbing was significantly associated with a lower risk of ASCVD in disease susceptibilities in diverse settings, especially in those with lower susceptibility,” the researchers wrote. “Moreover, the increased risk of ASCVD in susceptible individuals could be effectively offset by engaging in more stair climbing. These findings highlight the potential advantages of stair climbing as a primary preventive measure for ASCVD in the general population.”
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