Save your life by taking the stairs instead of the lift

Researchers say walking up the stairs at work instead of taking the lift could be a lifesaver.

The researchers from the University Hospital of Geneva found that using the stairs at work led to better fitness, less body fat and a drop in blood pressure and they say the benefits equate to a 15% reduction in the risk of dying prematurely from any cause.

Professor Philippe Meyer, the study leader, suggests that stair-climbing at work may have major public health implications which underline the importance of architectural design and convenient placement of stairwells to help people make healthy choices.

The research team recruited 77 colleagues at the hospital whose lifestyle was defined as sedentary, meaning they did less than two hours exercise or sport each week, and less than ten flights of stair-climbing a day.

The recruits were asked over a 12 week period to use the stairs exclusively at work instead of taking the lift, increasing the average number of floors they climbed each day from five to 23.

At the end of the three month period, treadmill tests showed their aerobic capacity - the amount of oxygen the body can use - had increased by 8.6% and there were statistically significant falls of almost 2% in waist circumference, weight and body fat levels, while blood pressure dropped by 2.3% and levels of 'bad' LDL cholesterol-by 3.9%.

Experts in cardiology say though the study is small it is valuable because it provides a practical way for busy working people to increase their exercise capacity with clear benefits in improved physical fitness and a reduction in body fat and blood pressure.

The majority of people fail to meet public health guidelines of doing at least 30 minutes activity on five days or more each week and those who do no exercise at all, place themselves at risk of dying earlier.

Dr. Meyer says the findings now need to be confirmed with larger studies.

The results were presented this week at the European Society of Cardiology in Munich, Germany.