Discover what happens to your body when you swap the lift for the stairs

We rarely feel inclined to use them and we usually avoid them, but taking the stairs is extraordinarily beneficial for our health. Climbing stairs is already well-known for reducing the risk of type II diabetes, typically caused by poor eating habits and a sedentary lifestyle, but now it is also known to have a direct beneficial effect on the heart.

To give more detail, it reduces the risk of death from any medical cause by 24% and the chances of dying from cardiovascular disease by up to 39%, according to a study released at the European Society of Cardiology conference held this spring in Athens.

"If you have the choice of using the stairs or the lift, opt for the stairs as it will help your heart," says author Dr Sophie Paddock of the University of East Anglia and Norwich University Hospital Foundation Trust in the UK.

"It confirms that exercise, whatever type it is, is heart-healthy," states Dr Manuel Anguita, spokesperson for the Spanish Society of Cardiology (SEC).

To reach this conclusion, the researchers conducted a review of several existing studies on the issue. This is what is known in science as a meta-analysis and, under normal conditions, its results are more reliable than those of a single study. In this case nine studies were analysed that had involved sample groups totalling 480,479 participants aged 35 to 84, all in good health but with a history of cardiovascular issues. Those who gave up the lift were almost a quarter less likely to die from any medical cause and 39% less likely to die from heart problems.

"Based on these results, we would encourage people to incorporate stair-climbing into their daily lives. So whether at work, at home or anywhere else, take the stairs," insists Dr Paddock.

One detail further underlines this conclusion: the meta-analysis does not take into account either the number of floors climbed or the intensity applied, so the improvement in heart health does not differentiate between those who have climbed one floor or a dozen, emphasising the idea that "some exercise is always better than none," says Dr Anguita.

Other benefits observed were a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, including heart attacks, heart failure and strokes. This activity also lowers cholesterol and strengthens bones. Lastly, it is estimated that you can lose 2.7 kilos a year simply by walking up just two flights of stairs a day.

Regarding the stair effect on type II diabetes, a study conducted by a group of universities in China, Sweden and Australia found that taking the stairs could benefit patients' overall condition by between 5% and 14% depending on the number of steps done per day.

In practical terms, climbing between 10 and 50 steps on stairs per day reduces the risk of diabetes by 5%. From this minimum, if we reach 150 stair steps per day, we will achieve the aforementioned 14%. More than 5.5 million people in Spain suffer from this ailment.

The reason why climbing stairs is so healthy is that "it requires more intensity than walking at a moderate pace, it involves more muscle groups and is in addition to any other exercise we already do," explains Dr Anguita. So, although the aforementioned study does not address the question of whether more is better, presumably it is, as is the case with the long-standing debate over how many steps a day we need to take daily to stay healthy.

"According to one study, 3,500 or 4,000 is enough, but every 1,000 more reduces the risk of mortality by 7%," he says.

More is better, yes, but "always adapted to the capabilities of each person. An 80-year-old is not the same as a 50-year-old, or someone who has had a heart problem as someone who doesn't."

So, to the million-dollar question as to what is best for the heart: "The best exercise for the heart, and in general also for any other organ, is a mixture of aerobic exercise with some form of strength exercise, but always with the former predominating. All are good, but each person has to choose the most appropriate one according to his or her functional capacity and state of health. For example, if you can't walk or climb stairs because you have bad knees or hips, you can do aerobic exercise in the swimming pool. It is also beneficial."