New Delhi: Heart attacks were once a cause of concern only in people aged 40 and above – but now, citing lifestyle choices and the Covid pandemic, it is now seen in young teens as well. And to make matters worse, cardiovascular diseases are the world’s deadliest group of diseases claiming highest number of lives globally every year. Doctors advised abstaining from alcohol and following a balanced, healthy lifestyle to reduce the risk of deadly events. However, one important lifestlye change that can come to the rescue of many is climbing stairs. Turns out, climbing 50 flights of stairs in a day can reduce heart disease risk by 20%.
The study, published in the journal Atherosclerosis, focused on heart events like blood clots, stroke and heart attacks. For this, experts analysed data from 458,860 adult participants in the UKBiobank and information on their lifestyle, stair climbing habits and sociodemographic factors was gathered as base data and then again after five years. Participants were followed for 12.5 years. Experts cross-referenced stair-climbing habits with respect to ischaemic stroke, coronary artery disease risk and other complications and used them as markers of heart disease risk for the study.
Researchers hypothesised an average staircare to be 10 steps and they tracked heart disease risk of people climbing 1-5, 6-10, 11-15 and 16-20 flights and more than 21 flights in a day. The best results were seen in people who were genetically not prone to heart diseases.
What are the benefits of climbing stairs?
Experts from the Tulane University’s Obesity Research Center stated that climbing stairs is a vigorous exercise which can reduce weight, boost metabolism, mitigate inflammation and also reduce heart disease and diabetes risk. This is because climbing stairs is an aerobic workout which engages a few more muscles than in regular walking on the level ground. Climbing stairs is three times as much workout as walking on the ground. The speed at which one mounts also makes a difference and it amounts to proper workout.
Should everyone try to maintain 50 flights of stairs goal?
Stair climbing is an exercise which can improve heart health significantly. But it is not advised for all, especially in case of people suffering from knee pain.
Researchers hypothesised an average staircare to be 10 steps and they tracked heart disease risk of people climbing 1-5, 6-10, 11-15 and 16-20 flights and more than 21 flights in a day. The best results were seen in people who were genetically not prone to heart diseases. Health News Health News: Latest News from Health Care, Mental Health, Weight Loss, Disease, Nutrition, Healthcare
