Study Shows That Changing One Simple Walking Habit Could Cut Heart Risk By 43%

Most of us know someone a friend or a relative who always seems to be racing ahead on a walk. It can be tough to keep up, and we often joke about needing to slow them down.

But it turns out, they might actually be onto something pretty important.

Atrial fibrillation is a type of irregular heartbeat that starts in the upper chambers of the heart. It can lead to issues like fatigue, palpitations, difficulty breathing, and feeling lightheaded.

It’s more common than many people think and can really impact daily life if not managed properly.

Walking could have a big impact on heart healthGetty Stock Photo

The study showed that people who walk at a brisk pace are less likely to develop any of these conditions.

Dr. Jill Pell, the senior author of the study and a professor at the University of Glasgow, said the research points to a simple yet effective way to boost heart health for many people.

“You don’t need to spend money going to a gym or buying equipment. You can just walk out of your front door and keep going.”

“There are medicines and procedures that can be offered to these people but it would be preferable to prevent heart rhythm abnormalities from occurring in the first place.”

Walking at a fast pace could lower your risk of heart abnormalitiesGetty Stock Photo

Each person was asked to describe how fast they usually walk. The options were slow, average, or brisk.

Results showed that 6.5 percent walked at a slow pace, 53 percent at an average pace, and 41 percent said they walked briskly.

“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,” Pell noted.

“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.”

Authors looked at health data from a group of participants taking part in the UK Biobank studyGetty Stock Photo

“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,” added Pell.

Still, the researchers acknowledged that the study does have some limitations. For example, people who already have health issues might naturally walk more slowly, which could impact the results.

“However, we really need an intervention study now to confirm our findings: a study of people who walk slowly in which some are asked to increase their walking pace and some are not.”