Study says brisk walking reduces risk of irregular heartbeat

The findings of the study emphasised that increasing your walking speed can protect you against irregular heartbeat or arrhythmias.

According to a study published in 2024, nearly 60 million people worldwide have atrial fibrillation. There are other arrhythmias, too. Moreover, people with arrhythmias are at higher risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD), according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). While there are medicines and procedures to help people with arrhythmias, did you know brisk walking could lower your risk for developing heart rhythm abnormalities?

The authors studied health and activity data from adults recruited between 2006 and 2010 for the UK Biobank study. (Shutterstock)

Walking fast reduces the risk of irregular heartbeat

In a study published in the journal Heart, average or brisk walking paces were associated with lower risks of all heart rhythm abnormalities compared with a slow pace.

While brisk walking (over 4 miles per hour) was linked to a 43 percent lower risk of cardiac arrhythmias compared to slow walking, average-pace walkers had a 35 percent reduced risk of arrhythmias.

The study

The authors studied health and activity data from adults recruited between 2006 and 2010 for the UK Biobank study. They followed the health outcomes of more than 5,00,000 people between the ages of 40 and 69 in the United Kingdom. They were given questionnaires which asked whether their walking pace was slow (less than 3 miles or 4.8 kilometres per hour), average (3 to 4 miles or 4.8 to 6.4 kilometres per hour) or brisk (more than 4 miles or 6.4 kilometres per hour).

Dr Jill Pell, the Henry Mechan Professor of Public Health at the University of Glasgow in Scotland, told CNN, “We had data on self-reported walking pace from more than 420,000 people, but we also had accelerometry data on (nearly) 82,000 of these. The data from the watches showed that walking at an average pace (3-4 miles per hour) for only 5-15 minutes per day was sufficient to reduce your risk.”

The study also found that the associations were strongest among those under 60, people without obesity, those with high blood pressure or two or more preexisting conditions, and women.

Dr Pell added, “This is an interesting finding because, although women are less likely to get atrial fibrillation than men, when they do get it, they are at a higher risk of going on to get heart attacks and strokes than men with atrial fibrillation.”

Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.