New research reveals that one simple daily habit can significantly reduce death and cardiovascular disease risks, making it an easy, practical habit for a longer, healthier life.
Longevity is on everybody’s minds. From the backwards-aging billionaire Bryan Johnson to the experts revealing the secrets to a longer life, it’s one of the hottest topics in wellness right now. However, new research shared by British scientists may have just distilled much of what we know about longevity down to one, simple daily habit.
In the quest for a longer, healthier life, we’re all too often bombarded with “advice” on necessarily intense, stringent workout regimens and the latest nutritional fads. However, new research presented at the ESC Preventive Cardiology 2024 conference by the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) suggests that the key to longevity might be much more straightforward than all that.
The Study
According to Dr. Sophie Paddock from the University of East Anglia and Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital Foundation Trust, the secret could be as straightforward as taking the stairs.
“If you have the choice of taking the stairs or the lift, go for the stairs as it will help your heart… Even brief bursts of physical activity have beneficial health impacts, and short bouts of stair climbing should be an achievable target to integrate into daily routines.”
Dr. Sophie Paddock
Cardiovascular disease is one of the leading causes of death around the world despite being almost entirely preventable through lifestyle factors. Alas, over a quarter of adults fail to meet the recommended levels of physical activity that could save off the disease. Stair climbing, often overlooked in favour of its electrical counterparts, is a practical and easily accessible form of exercise that can be incorporated into daily life without requiring a significant investment of time or cash.
Dr. Paddock and her team conducted a comprehensive meta-analysis, reviewing nine studies with a combined total of 480,479 participants. The study included both healthy individuals and those with a history of heart attack or peripheral arterial disease, with the ages of participants ranging from 35 to 84 years old.
The Findings
Here are the winning findings: compared to those who did not climb stairs, stair climbers experienced a 24% reduced risk of dying from any cause whatsoever and an altogether more remarkable 39% lower likelihood of dying from cardiovascular disease. On top of these two pretty heavyweight upsides, stair climbing was also linked to a decreased risk of heart attacks, heart failure, and strokes.
Dr. Paddock hammers home the message about just how easy it is to implement this stuff
“Based on these results, we would encourage people to incorporate stair climbing into their day-to-day lives. Our study suggested that the more stairs climbed, the greater the benefits — but this needs to be confirmed. So, whether at work, home, or elsewhere, take the stairs.”
Dr. Sophie Paddock
Taking the stairs might just be the easiest and most effective way to boost your heart health and extend your lifespan. So next time you face that ever-so-difficult choice between elevator, escalator, or stairs, you know what to do…