Taking the stairs may be a smart move for your heart’s health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A recent study published in the medical journal Atherosclerosis found that regular stair-climbing could reduce the risk of certain types of heart disease.<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Specifically, the research revealed that climbing five flights<\/u><\/a> of stairs per day could decrease the risk of atherosclerosis \u2014 or atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) \u2014 by 20%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The study, conducted by researchers at Tulane University in Louisiana and Peking University in Beijing, analyzed more than 12 years of data from the UK Biobank for 458,860 adults.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The results revealed a lower risk of ASCVD, even among those who were otherwise more susceptible to the disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The study, conducted by researchers at Tulane University in Louisiana and Peking University in Beijing, analyzed more than 12 years of data from the UK Biobank for 458,860 adults.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The results revealed a lower risk of ASCVD, even among those who were otherwise more susceptible to the disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The National Institutes of Health (NIH) indicates that atherosclerosis is a “common condition that develops when a sticky substance called plaque builds up inside your artery.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n About half of middle-aged Americans have the condition and are unaware of it.<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Heart disease linked to ASCVD is the leading cause of death in the U.S., the NIH reported. <\/p>\n\n\n\n About half of middle-aged Americans have the condition and are unaware of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The study findings support the belief that stair-climbing could be a “convenient and time-efficient way of vigorous exercise for lowering the risk of heart disease,” said Tulane University professor Lu Qi, M.D., PhD, who was one of the study authors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In addition to potentially reducing the risk of heart disease, climbing stairs is also an effective form of high-intensity aerobic exercise, according to Dr. Laxmi Mehta, a non-invasive cardiologist at The Ohio State University<\/u><\/a> Wexner Medical Center. <\/p>\n\n\n\n “Routine, short bursts of high-intensity exercise, such as climbing stairs, on a regular basis can improve heart disease risk factors with lower blood pressure and healthier weight<\/u><\/a>,” she told Fox News Digital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Many people don\u2019t participate in the recommended amount of aerobic exercise due to time commitment, lack of access to exercise equipment, costs and other reasons.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ten minutes of the activity burns around 100 calories, according to the American Council of Exercise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “If someone is having heart symptoms or if they plan to do vigorous stair-climbing, they may want to check in with their doctor first.”<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The benefits come from not only the extra steps, but also from the added incline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Compared to walking on a flat surface, climbing stairs requires people to raise their own body weight against the forces of gravity, putting extra stress on muscles and the cardio-respiratory system,” Kelly Jones, a performance dietitian and consultant in Philadelphia<\/u><\/a>, told Fox News Digital in an email. <\/p>\n\n\n\n “Working against gravity also improves bone health, on top of muscular strength benefits,” she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Regular stair-climbing better equips the body to recover from added stress to “become stronger and more metabolically efficient, positively impacting health<\/u><\/a>,” the doctor added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Daily stair-climbing is associated with a reduced risk for metabolic syndrome, a group of conditions that increase the risk of premature death,” Jones said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n “This includes markers such as blood cholesterol and triglycerides, blood sugar and blood pressure.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n