If You Can Perform This Simple Test, Your Heart Is Healthy

Every year, many people around the world die from coronary heart disease. Researchers have thus developed an easy test to perform at home to detect these diseases. To detect a possible anomaly at the level of the heart, it is enough in particular to climb the stairs. This screening method should save many lives.

A study involving a hundred volunteers

For this studythe researchers used 165 people with symptoms of coronary heart disease, such as chest pain and shortness of breath during exercise.

The participants first walked or ran on a treadmill so that the researchers could determine their physical capacity, measured in MET (Metabolic Equivalent of Task), a unit of measurement used to estimate the amount of energy used by the body. body during physical activity, compared to resting metabolism.

After a rest period of 15 to 20 minutes, they then had to climb four flights of stairs, or 60 steps, at a rapid pace, without running and without stopping. According to the results of the experiment, volunteers who climbed the steps in less than 40 to 45 seconds obtained between 9 and 10 METs, which translates into a mortality rate of 1% per year. In contrast, those who took more than 1.5 minutes to climb the stairs obtained less than 8 METs, which translates to a mortality rate of 2 to 4% per year.

A simple test

” The stair test is an easy way to check your heart health. If it takes you more than 1.5 minutes to climb four flights of stairs, your health is not optimal, and it would be a good idea to consult a doctor. said Jesús Peteiro, study author and cardiologist at the University Hospital of La Coruña, Spain.

The latter points out that these results provide additional proof of the benefits of physical activity on health and life expectancy. He explains that in addition to reducing weight, physical activity also ” positive effects on blood pressure and lipids, reduces inflammation and improves the body’s immune response to tumors “.