Study Shows Stair Climbing May Reduce Cardiac Event Risk

As a health and exercise professional, I love helping people find practical solutions to their obstacles. No time to do long exercise sessions? Break it up throughout the day. Having a difficult time incorporating a new habit? Stack it with other habits you already have. Want to eat healthier but aren’t sure where to begin? Start by adding a type of food you aren’t getting enough of—usually fruits, vegetables or whole grains. 

Starting a new habit doesn’t have to be pricey either. For example, a new study published on October 22, 2024, in Nutrients suggests that if you have a set of stairs in your house—or your apartment complex—you have the start of a perfect home gym. Here’s what they found. 

How Was This Study Conducted & What Did Researchers Find?

For this study, researchers wanted to assess the associations between dietary patterns and stair climbing, both independently and together, with major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs). MACEs were defined as incidences of nonfatal myocardial infarction (heart attack) and stroke, as well as fatal cardiovascular events. 

The eating patterns that were included in the assessment were the Mediterranean diet (assessed using the Alternate Mediterranean Diet Score or AMED), Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH), healthy eating (assessed using the Alternate Healthy Eating Index-2010 or AHEI-2010) and a plant-based diet (assessed using the Healthful Plant-Based Diet Index or HPDI). 

Researchers drew data from the UK Biobank, a population cohort of more than 500,000 people from the United Kingdom who were ages 39 to 70 during enrollment, which took place between 2006 and 2010. Participants provided information via self-reported questionnaires and face-to-face interviews. 

This study included 117,384 participants with an average age of 56 who had completed at least two dietary questionnaires. Using the corresponding assessments, every participant received a diet score for each diet included in the study. In other words, each person received four different scores, one for each diet being assessed. 

Information that counted as covariates—variables that could affect or skew results—that would also be taken into account during statistical analyses included age, sex, race and ethnicity, education, socioeconomic status, smoking, drinking, total energy intake, physical activity, sleep duration, BMI, blood pressure and blood sugar levels.

Participants also provided information on the frequency of daily stair climbing, falling into one of five categories: no steps climbed, 10-50 steps per day, 60-100 steps per day, 110-150 steps per day or more than 150 steps per day.

Researchers sorted participants into various groups based on their assessment scores.

After several statistical analyses were run, researchers found that people who climbed more than 150 steps per day had the lowest BMI and blood pressure, as well as the highest average total energy intake (averaging 2,074 calories per day). These same people also scored higher on all four healthy eating patterns. 

In addition, as the number of steps climbed went up, the risk for MACEs went down. Compared to the other groups, the lowest risk of MACEs was observed among folks who climb 110-150 steps per day. 

Researchers also combined the healthy eating scores with the number of steps climbed and found that climbing 110-150 steps per day had health benefits even for those who scored low on their healthy eating assessments. In fact, the researchers found that climbing 110-150 steps per day could offset a participant’s lower eating score—so much so that their risk for MACEs decreased as much as or more than those with higher eating scores who climbed fewer than 50 steps per day. 

The largest percentage of participants in this study climbed 60-100 steps per day. They had, on average, the following reduction in MACE risk based on their eating pattern:

• Mediterranean diet (assessed using AMED): 17%
• Healthy eating (assessed using AHEI-2010): 9%
• DASH diet: 11%
• Plant-based diet (assessed using HPDI): 12%

How Does This Apply to Real Life?

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S.—one person dies every 33 seconds from it. And yet, heart disease is also one of the most preventable diseases. Diet, physical activity, stress, sleep and socialization (i.e., your relationships) all influence cardiovascular health. 

This particular study suggests that simply incorporating more stair climbing into your day can help reduce your risk of major adverse cardiovascular events. And you can multiply those benefits by eating a healthy diet. 

The average flight of stairs in a house is 13-16 steps. To get to 60-100 steps means going up 4 to 8 flights a day. That is doable for many. And you don’t have to do them all at once. It also makes it easier if it’s combined with another habit or activity.

For example, if your laundry is downstairs and you need to take it upstairs to put it away, instead of loading it all into one laundry basket, take several smaller armfuls up at a time. This is an example of habit stacking. You’re combining a new habit—climbing stairs regularly—with a habit you’ve already established—putting the laundry away.

If you don’t have stairs at home, then look for opportunities to take the stairs more often—like at work. Really, the main point is to move your body more often. But the great thing about stair climbing is that it also strengthens the lower body, so you not only strengthen your heart and lungs but your leg, hip and butt muscles too. 

It’s also important to start incorporating more foods known to help reduce heart disease risk—like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, legumes, healthy fats and lean proteins, including fish and other seafood. The Mediterranean diet is a great place to start since it includes all of these foods. 

The Bottom Line

This study found that people who climbed 60-100 steps per day and ate a healthy diet reduced their risk of major adverse cardiovascular events by 9% to 17%, depending on their eating pattern. While there is no one perfect diet, there are foods that are associated with lower heart disease risk. As always, it’s important to take a big-picture approach and assess the areas and habits you’re currently engaging in that might negatively affect your heart—and brain—health. Start with one or two of the areas and gradually incorporate healthier habits into your routine.