People who regularly climb stairs are 39% less likely to die of cardiovascular disease than those who avoid them, according to the largest review yet of evidence linking stair climbing to heart health, published this week in the American Journal of Cardiovascular Drugs.
Researchers from the University of East Anglia and the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital screened nearly 1,900 published studies and pooled results from nine that met their quality standards, covering more than 480,000 participants aged 35 to 84, 53% of them women, followed for a median of 14 years. Some cohorts included only healthy adults; others tracked people who already had heart disease.
Habitual stair climbers were 39% less likely to die of cardiovascular causes and 24% less likely to die of any cause during follow-up compared with people who rarely or never used stairs. Four of the studies also linked regular stair use to a lower risk of a heart attack, stroke or heart failure diagnosis. One large cohort included in the analysis suggested climbing roughly six flights a day captured much of the benefit, though the researchers, including lead authors Sophie Paddock and Vassilios Vassiliou, cautioned that the ideal dose has not been firmly established across studies. Broadly, they found more stair climbing tracked with greater benefit.
An exercise that needs no gym
Climbing stairs briefly but repeatedly elevates the heart rate and works large muscle groups in the legs and core, a pattern that overlaps with the kind of vigorous-intensity interval activity cardiologists already recommend. Because a flight of stairs is available in most homes, offices and transit stations, researchers framed the behavior as an unusually accessible way to get that benefit without setting aside time for a dedicated workout or paying for a gym membership.
"Climbing the stairs is something you can easily fit into your day at home, at work or when you're out," the researchers said, according to a summary of the findings, positioning it as a practical option for people who say they lack time or access for structured exercise.
The authors caution that the underlying studies were observational, meaning they can show an association between stair climbing and lower death risk but cannot prove the activity itself causes the reduction — people who climb stairs easily may simply be healthier to begin with. They also note stair climbing is not advisable for everyone, including some people with joint problems, balance issues or advanced heart failure, who should consult a doctor before increasing their activity. The team is calling for future studies that use wearable devices to measure stair climbing more precisely, rather than relying on participants' self-reports, to pin down how much stair climbing delivers the greatest benefit and for whom.
