A recent study highlights the potential health benefits of brisk walking, revealing that as little as five minutes a day can substantially lower the risk of developing irregular heartbeats. During this time, the most dramatic drops took place among Black Americans. Heart rhythm abnormalities, such as the all too common atrial fibrillation, affect hundreds of millions of individuals worldwide.
Heart rhythm disorders, or arrhythmias, impact as many as 5% of people worldwide. Atrial fibrillation alone affects around 60 million people. The nationwide population-based cohort study followed 420,925 participants for a median 7.9 years. It determined that 5.1% of those people went on to develop arrhythmias in this time period.
The likelihood of having these comorbidities generally increases with age, especially among those over the age of 65 years. Higher risks are seen in people with a family history of heart rhythm abnormalities. Prof. Jill Pell, a senior scientist in the field, stresses the need to stick with a healthy lifestyle. It plays an oversize role in reducing these risks.
The research’s data showed powerful connections between walking patterns and cardiovascular health. Even participants who committed to brisk walking for only 10 minutes a day saw stunning results. They lowered their risk of developing cardiac arrhythmias by 43%. This cohort consisted of 80,773 participants who contributed accelerometer-derived objective activity data to further corroborate the self-reported findings.
As for the participants, 27,877 people, 6.6% of the total 421,762 participants were considered slow walkers. At the other end of the spectrum, 171,384 participants—52.7%—walked at a slow pace overall, while 171,384—40.7%—were moderately brisk walkers. With a mean age of 55.8 years, the study included a wide representation of middle-age adults.
The most surprising thing the study uncovered. Increasing total time spent walking at a moderate pace substantially reduces the incidence of cardiac arrhythmias by 27%. Among those who kept up a moderate walking speed, the risk was reduced by 24%. The research, once controlling for socio-economic status, age and other variables, revealed an impressive result. People who walked at a normal pace lowered their risk of developing cardiac arrhythmias by 35% and those who walked fast by an amazing 43%.
These results further highlight that, contrary to popular belief, any level of physical activity even low doses counts and is associated with significant health benefits. Professor Pell’s advice if you’re looking to improve your health? Start by adding just ten minutes of brisk walking to your day. This one small adjustment can help you get more daily activity and improve your heart health.
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