A new review of research covering nearly half a million adults suggests that climbing stairs regularly is linked to significantly lower odds of dying from heart disease. The findings were published August 13 in the American Journal of Cardiovascular Drugs.
The analysis, reported by Healthline, pooled data from nine separate studies involving adults between the ages of 35 and 84. The group included both healthy individuals and people with a history of heart attack or peripheral artery disease, making the sample unusually broad.
To examine mortality specifically, the researchers combined data from five of the nine studies, covering 455,619 participants. That portion of the analysis found that stair climbing was associated with a 39% lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease and a 24% lower risk of death from any cause.
The nine studies also looked at rates of specific cardiovascular conditions. Stair climbing was associated with lower risk of heart attack, stroke, and heart failure across several of the studies. However, because the individual studies measured stair climbing differently and produced varied results, the researchers were not able to calculate a single combined risk reduction for those conditions. Some studies counted the number of flights climbed, while others measured whether a participant could climb stairs without stopping.
The researchers acknowledged that the findings show an association, not a proven cause-and-effect relationship. Other factors, including participants' broader physical activity habits and general health behaviors, could have contributed to the lower risks observed. The study design does not allow researchers to say that stair climbing itself caused the difference in outcomes.
Still, at least one cardiovascular specialist found the numbers striking. Kaustubh Dabhadkar, a board certified preventive cardiologist at Novant Health and medical advisor to Veevo Health, who was not involved in the research, commented on the scale of the effect. "If someone told us that a pill cuts your risk of heart disease by a third, we would all be lining up for that pill. Stair climbing is that pill, yet no one is lining up to take the stairs," he told Healthline.
Part of what makes stair climbing notable as a form of exercise is the intensity it delivers in a short period of time. Climbing stairs raises heart rate, requires the body to work against gravity, and increases both energy expenditure and cardiorespiratory demand. Prior research has shown that even brief sessions of stair climbing can lower cholesterol and improve cardiovascular fitness.
One remaining question the current study did not resolve is how much stair climbing may be needed to produce the most benefit. Researchers have not yet identified an optimal frequency or volume.
The study adds to a broader line of research suggesting that short, incidental bursts of physical activity, the kind built into daily routines rather than scheduled workouts, can carry measurable health benefits over time.
