Climbing stairs every day can reduce the risk of a common cause of stroke by nearly a third, a study shows.
Researchers tracked hundreds of thousands of people in their fifties to see what proportion developed atrial fibrillation – an abnormal heartbeat which is a major risk factor for strokes.
They found adults climbing at least 110 steps a day – roughly the equivalent of going up a typical household staircase about seven times – were 31 per cent less likely to develop the potentially life-threatening condition.
The findings, in the journal Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases, prompted researchers to call for stair climbing to be promoted as a simple and effective way to ward off strokes.
At least two million people in the UK suffer with atrial fibrillation, a fluttering of the heart which can be triggered by high blood pressure, chest infections, an overactive thyroid and even too much caffeine or alcohol.
It develops when electrical activity in the heart goes haywire and causes it to beat irregularly. One in 25 people over 60 get it.
Some will have symptoms like chest pain, dizziness and fatigue but a significant number have no idea they are ill until they suffer a stroke.
As the heart no longer beats in a regular fashion, due to the irregular electrical activity, blood which should get pumped round the body instead begins to ‘pool’ and thicken inside the left ventricle – the heart’s main pumping chamber.
When blood clots travel up through the narrow blood vessels that feed the brain, they potentially cause a fatal stroke by blocking the brain’s supply of oxygen-rich blood
Research has found that climbing at least 110 steps a day – roughly the equivalent of going up a typical household staircase about seven times – were 31 per cent less likely to develop the potentially life-threatening condition
If a clot then breaks away and travels up through the narrow blood vessels that feed the brain, it can cause a fatal stroke by blocking the brain’s supply of oxygen-rich blood.
Atrial fibrillation causes around 16,000 strokes a year in the UK, according to the Arrhythmia Alliance.
Experts at Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China analysed data on stairs use and general health among nearly half-a-million Brits taking part in a long-term health project called UK Biobank.
All were free of any heart problems when they joined the study and followed up for 12 years to see who got ill.
The results showed those who climbed a minimum of 110 steps daily were much less likely to develop atrial fibrillation than those rarely using stairs.
Previous studies have found taking the stairs helps to keep the heart healthy and boosts memory and concentration.
In a report researchers said: ‘Our findings suggest promoting regular stair climbing could be a potential target for preventing atrial fibrillation.’
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