Daily Stair Climbing is Associated with Decreased Risk for the Metabolic Syndrome

Overview

Journal BMC Public Health

Publisher Biomed Central

Specialty Public Health

Date 2021 May 15

PMID 33990186

Citations 8

Authors

Anna C Whittaker

Frank F Eves

Douglas Carroll

Tessa J Roseboom

Annie T Ginty

Rebecca C Painter

Susanne R de Rooij

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Stair climbing can be a vigorous lifestyle physical activity, and is associated with healthier lipoprotein profiles, lower body weight and blood pressure, as well as higher aerobic fitness. The present analysis of data from a cohort of late middle-aged men and women examined the association between daily stair climbing and the metabolic syndrome.

Methods: Data from 782 (423 women) participants (mean (SD) age 58.3 (0.95) years in the Dutch Famine Birth Cohort Study (2002-2004) were used to examine the cross-sectional association between self-reported daily stair climbing and the metabolic syndrome. Stair climbing was assessed by the question 'Do you climb stairs daily?' and the metabolic syndrome was defined using the established five components relating to lipid fractions, blood glucose levels, blood pressure and abdominal obesity.

Results: Not climbing stairs daily was associated with an increased incidence of the metabolic syndrome (OR = 1.90, 95% CI = 1.23, 2.92, p = 0.004) and a greater number of its components (F = 8.48, p = 0.004): these associations were still evident after adjusting for a variety of potential confounders.

Conclusions: The most likely explanation for the current findings is that daily stair climbing may be protective against the metabolic syndrome. This result reinforces public health recommendations for increased stair climbing with evidence from physiological outcomes.

Citing Articles

The association between stair climbing and modifiable cardiovascular disease risk factors: the Suita Study.

Arafa A, Yasui Y, Kato Y, Matsumoto C, Kokubo Y Environ Health Prev Med. 2024; 29:26.

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Stair-climbing interventions on cardio-metabolic outcomes in adults: A scoping review.

Ghosal A, Chandrasekaran B J Taibah Univ Med Sci. 2023; 19(1):136-150.

PMID: 38021217 PMC: 10656261. DOI: 10.1016/j.jtumed.2023.10.003.

Stair climbing and the incidence of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease: a population-based prospective cohort study.

Arafa A, Kashima R, Kokubo Y Environ Health Prev Med. 2023; 28:60.

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Desk based prompts to replace workplace sitting with stair climbing; a pilot study of acceptability, effects on behaviour and disease risk factors.

Mat Azmi I, Wallis G, White M, Puig-Ribera A, Eves F BMC Public Health. 2022; 22(1):1985.

PMID: 36316656 PMC: 9620615. DOI: 10.1186/s12889-022-14393-1.

Stair climbing, genetic predisposition, and the risk of incident type 2 diabetes: A large population-based prospective cohort study.

Wu Y, Luo M, Tan X, Chen L J Sport Health Sci. 2022; 12(2):158-166.

PMID: 36243314 PMC: 10105025. DOI: 10.1016/j.jshs.2022.10.002.

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