People who report climbing more stairs live slightly longer, but the link is small and probably partly confounded
Does climbing stairs help you live longer?
The finding
In UK Biobank, 6–10 flights a day at home against none went with a hazard ratio of 0.91 (0.85–0.98), about 44–55 extra days of survival. In Harvard alumni, 35 or more floors a week against fewer than 10 went with 0.84 (0.78–0.91).
- Authors
- Sanchez-Lastra MA, Ding D, Dalene KE, et al.; Rey-Lopez JP, Stamatakis E, et al.
- Published
- J Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle 12(2):298–307; Preventive Medicine Reports 15:100938 · 2021; 2019
- Evidence
- Read in the primary source; numbers checked.
- Source
- doi.org/10.1002/jcsm.12679
How it was studied
UK Biobank, 280,423 people over 11.1 years; Harvard Alumni Health Study, 8,874 men over 12.4 years.
The numbers
Neither study found an association with cardiovascular disease. UK Biobank found a similar link with lung cancer, an outcome that stairs should not affect, which points to residual confounding.
What it does not show
Self-reported habits, not a timed test.
What Longstanding does with it
These studies say nothing about the timed stair test, and we do not use them to suggest it does.