Regular Exercise May Ward Off Atrial Fibrillation

September 3 2014

Regular Exercise May Ward Off Atrial Fibrillation

A ground-breaking new study suggests that women who exercise on a regular basis are less likely to suffer from irregular heartbeat.

According to the study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, physically active postmenopausal women are 10% less likely to develop the atrial fibrillation.

Affecting some 1.1 million women in the U.S. alone, atrial fibrillation is characterized by an abnormal heart rhythm. Women who suffer from this condition may experience heart palpitations, fainting, fatigue, chest pain, or heart failure. The American Heart Association (AHA) states that people with atrial fibrillation are five times more likely to suffer a stroke.

Two of the most influential factors in atrial fibrillation are age and weight. It’s estimates that approximately 8% of men and women over the age of 80 suffer from atrial fibrillation. As we age, the heart may begin to “tick” abnormally, a condition referred to as atrial fibrillation. Of course, weight is equally as influential in the development of atrial fibrillation.

For this study, researchers at the Inherited Arrhythmia Clinic at the Stanford University School of Medicine in California observed some 80,000 female participants ranging in ages from 50 to 79 at the Women’s Health Initiative. Researchers asked the women a battery of questions, including whether or not they walked on a regular basis, and if so, how long they walked.

At the end of the 10-year study, researchers concluded that women who walked for just 10 minutes a week were 10% less likely to develop atrial fibrillation than women who did not walk or exercise.

“We pretty clearly show that in this older population, the more they exercised, they less likely they were to develop atrial fibrillation — and the obese women were the ones who benefited most from this exercise,” said study author Dr. Marco Perez.

“This study shows that moving, keeping a body in motion, is a good thing even if you have risk factors for heart disease,” he said. “You can’t use atrial fibrillation as an excuse for not being physically active, if you’re an average guy or gal.”

So, what should you take away from this study? Whether you are a man, woman, young or old, exercise is beneficial for a number of reasons. It strengthens the body, reduces the risk of heart disease, wards off depression, and according to this study, may also help in protecting against atrial fibrillation.