NEW YORK, Apr 27 (Reuters Health) - For years, experts have been encouraging
Americans to exercise, using steps as simple as taking the stairs instead of an
elevator and walking to work, where possible. A recent study bolsters this
advice -- it shows that frequent bouts of intense activity throughout the day
can have considerable health benefits.
The study, published in the current issue of Preventive Medicine, found that
just 2 minutes of stair climbing several times a day can lower total
cholesterol, raise HDL ("good") cholesterol and improve the resting pulse rate
in sedentary young women.
"Such improvements may have important implications for the health of women,
since poor (cardio-respiratory) fitness has been shown to be a strong, graded,
and independent risk factor for cardiovascular and all-cause mortality in women,
on par with cigarette smoking," conclude Dr. Colin Boreham with the University
of Ulster in Belfast and colleagues.
Further, improvements in total cholesterol levels achieved in the study
could cut the rate of heart disease in women by a third, they note.
The team of researchers from the United Kingdom measured cholesterol levels,
oxygen uptake, heart rates and blood lactate concentrations (a measure of
metabolism) in 12 women between 18-22 years old, before and after the exercise
program.
The women used a public access staircase for about 2 minutes a day for 5
days a week.
Compared with a group of 10 women who did not participate in the progressive
stair-climbing program, the women who climbed stairs showed significant
improvements in health and fitness levels after 7 weeks.
However, they did not show any evidence of weight loss.
"A short-term stair-climbing program can confer considerable cardiovascular
health benefits on previously sedentary young women, lending credence to the
potential public health benefits of this form of exercise," the authors
conclude.
They add that "stair climbing may be a particularly efficient way of
incorporating health-promoting exercise into an individual's daily lifestyle."
Experts advise consulting with your doctor before beginning a new exercise
program.
