Association between physical activity and risk of incident arrhythmias in 402 406 individuals: evidence from the UK Biobank cohort
Study (402,406 people, 40-69 years age) found incident AF risk was lower amongst physically active participants, with a more pronounced reduction amongst females (HR for 1500 vs. 0 metabolic equivalent-minutes/wk: = 0.85, 95%CI 0.74–0.98 for females vs 0.90, 0.82–1.0 for males)
Source:
European Heart Journal
SPS commentary:
A related editorial notes that the first and foremost implication from this study is that regular physical activity is protective against most forms of cardiac arrhythmias, including AF, and is to be encouraged. Secondly, regular involvement in very vigorous physical activity can promote AF, predominantly in men, and this may need to be considered in managing highly active patients with the arrhythmia. Finally, there is a lot we do not know about how sex can determine important biological responses, and much more research is needed in this area.