Can being physically active lower the risk of stroke and premature death? Neurologist Dr Sudhir Kumar explains

Dr Sudhir Kumar highlights that physical activity can increase life expectancy for people with atrial fibrillation, adding up to 1.15 years.

Staying physically active is one of the most incredible things that you can do for your body and overall health. Now, in an X (formerly Twitter) post dated August 27, Dr Sudhir Kumar, a neurologist, highlighted that being active also lowers your risk of getting a stroke and premature death.

The neurologist posted on X, “Another strong reason to be physically active: lower risk of stroke and premature death.” He cited an August 2026 study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, where researchers studied the ‘impact of physical activity on stroke and mortality in individuals with and without atrial fibrillation’.

Being physically active lowers the risk of stroke and premature death

According to Dr Sudhir, in the recently published study, the following observations were made:

⦿ Being physically active, even just a LITTLE, was linked to:

• Up to 19% lower stroke risk
• up to 22% lower risk of death from any cause.

Being active helps those with atrial fibrillation

He stressed that this held true whether or not people had atrial fibrillation (AFib). Atrial fibrillation is an irregular and often very rapid heart rhythm. An irregular heart rhythm is called an arrhythmia; therefore, those who have AFib can develop blood clots in the heart.

“For people with AFib, staying active was tied to 0.5 to 1.15 extra years of life,” Dr Sudhir shared, citing the study. The study observed participants for 13.5 years and found that among individuals with AFib, life expectancy increased, with gains of 0.50 years in low physical activity, 0.66 years in moderate physical activity, and 1.15 years in high physical activity. The benefits were observed for both stroke and mortality.

Bottom line, in the neurologist's words, is that one doesn't need to be a marathoner to reap all these benefits. “Any movement beats none, and more is generally better,” he stressed.

About the expert

Dr Sudhir Kumar is a veteran neurologist at Apollo Hospitals, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad. With over 26 years of experience and qualifications including MBBS, MD (internal medicine), and DM (neurology), he treats a wide range of conditions such as dementia, ALS, cerebral palsy, back pain, Canavan disease, and more.

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