Climbing stairs linked to lower blood pressure: study

According to a research conducted recently, climbing stairs can be helpful in preventing high blood pressure in people, especially women after menopause as the estrogen deficiencies in them may cause vascular and muscle problems.

The study was conducted in America and published by The North American Menopause Society (NAMS) showed evidence relating stair climbing to lower blood pressure level.

Stair climbing offers the benefits of aerobic and resistance exercise for improving cardio-respiratory fitness and leg muscle strength, the study said.

The study involved data of Korean postmenopausal women who trained four days a week, climbing 192 steps two to five times a day.

“This study demonstrates how simple lifestyle interventions such as stair climbing can be effective in preventing or reducing the negative effects of menopause and age on the vascular system and leg muscles of postmenopausal women with hypertension,” says Dr. JoAnn Pinkerton, director of the North American Menopause Society.

It concluded that stair climbing led to reductions in arterial stiffness and blood pressure and increases in leg strength in stage 2 hypertensive postmenopausal women.