The simple change that could slash your risk of heart rhythm problems

Picking up the pace during walks could significantly reduce the risk of heart rhythm problems, a new study suggests.

A team led by academics from the University of Glasgow analysed data from more than 420,000 people in the UK Biobank, examining the relationship between walking speed and arrhythmia - which causes the heart to beat too quickly or too slowly.

The study categorised walking speeds into three groups: slow (less than three miles per hour), average (three to four miles per hour), and brisk (more than four miles per hour). Roughly 221,000 reported walking at an average pace, while approximately 171,000 reported a brisk pace.

The findings indicated a correlation between brisker walking and a lower incidence of arrhythmia, and researchers concluded that brisk walking “may be a safe and effective exercise” to mitigate the risk of developing this heart condition.

It found, over a period of 13 years, 36,574 people developed heart rhythm problems, including atrial fibrillation (AF) – when the heart’s upper chambers beat irregularly and too fast – as well as an abnormally slow heartbeat and ventricular arrhythmias, or when an abnormal heart rhythm starts in the lower chambers.

Heart rhythm problems can increase the risk of stroke, heart failure, and cardiac arrest if left untreated. They happen when there’s a fault with the electrical system that makes the heart beat and can also be caused by conditions like high blood pressure, heart attacks, or some medicines or viruses.

After taking demographic and lifestyle factors into account, researchers found an average or brisk walking pace cut the risk of heart rhythm problems by 35 per cent and 43 per cent, respectively, compared to those who reported walking at a slow pace.

The risk of AF was slashed by almost half (46 per cent) among those who walked the fastest, the study suggests.

Researchers said the findings, published in the journal Heart, “reinforce the promotion of faster walking pace” in exercise recommendations.

Data on the amount of time spent walking was available for 81,956 people in the study.

Some 4,117 of these people went on to develop arrhythmias during the follow-up period.

Researchers found that spending more time walking at an average or brisk pace was linked to a 27 per cent lower risk of developing problems.

The team added: “This study is the first to explore the pathways underpinning the association between walking pace and arrhythmias and to provide evidence that metabolic and inflammatory factors may have a role: walking faster decreased the risk of obesity and inflammation, which, in turn, reduced the risk of arrhythmia.”