UK Study on 'Walking Speed'
"Walking Faster Reduces Risk of Arrhythmia"
It has been revealed that simply increasing walking speed can reduce the risk of arrhythmia. A British research team announced on the 16th that "walking at a speed of 5 to 6 km/h or faster can lower the risk of arrhythmias such as atrial fibrillation, tachycardia (rapid heartbeat), and bradycardia (slow heartbeat)."
Professor Jill P. Pell's team at the University of Glasgow in the UK reported in the British Medical Journal's sister journal Heart that they discovered this fact by tracking the relationship between walking speed and duration and cardiac rhythm abnormalities in over 420,000 participants of the UK Biobank.
The research team explained the background of the study, stating, "While walking speed is associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality, there have been very few studies investigating its effect on cardiac arrhythmias. In this study, we examined the impact of walking speed alongside established risk factors such as age, sex, obesity, and smoking." They conducted an average 13-year follow-up study on 420,925 UK Biobank participants (mean age 55) who provided walking speed data via questionnaires. Among them, 81,956 participants had their walking speed and duration measured using activity trackers.
Based on walking speed, 27,877 participants (6.5%) were classified into the slow speed group walking less than 4.8 km/h, 221,664 participants (53%) into the average speed group walking between 4.8 and 6.4 km/h, and 171,384 participants (41%) into the fast speed group walking faster than 6.4 km/h. During the follow-up period, 36,574 cases of cardiac rhythm abnormalities occurred, including 23,526 cases of atrial fibrillation, 19,093 cases of other cardiac arrhythmias, 5,678 cases of bradycardia, and 2,168 cases of ventricular arrhythmias.
After accounting for potential confounding factors such as demographics and lifestyle, the analysis showed that the risk of arrhythmia in the fast and average speed groups was 43% and 35% lower, respectively, compared to the slow speed group. The risk of atrial fibrillation was 46% and 38% lower in the fast and average speed groups, respectively, while the risk of other cardiac arrhythmias was 39% and 21% lower.
Among the 81,956 participants whose walking speed and duration were measured by activity trackers, 4,117 developed arrhythmias. The risk of arrhythmia in the average or fast speed groups was 27% lower than in the slow speed group. Approximately 36% of the association between walking speed and cardiac rhythm abnormalities was attributed to metabolic and inflammatory factors. This association was independent of known cardiovascular risk factors but was stronger in women, individuals under 60 years old, non-obese persons, and those with chronic diseases.
The research team stated, "Although this is an observational study and cannot establish a definitive causal relationship, it provides evidence that metabolic and inflammatory factors may play an important role in the association between walking speed and arrhythmia risk." They added, "This study shows that walking at average and fast speeds is associated with reduced risk of cardiac arrhythmias mediated through metabolic and inflammatory pathways, suggesting that brisk walking could be a safe and effective exercise to reduce arrhythmias in high-risk groups."
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