Exercise May Be Good Medicine for Irregular Heartbeat

Exercise appears to help control an irregular heartbeat known as atrial fibrillation in obese people, a new study shows.

Australian researchers found that “cardiorespiratory fitness” reduced the risk that this potentially dangerous heartbeat will return by as much as 84% - even more than losing weight. Cardiorespiratory fitness refers to the ability of the heart and lungs to supply oxygen to the body during sustained physical activity.

“This study adds to a growing body of evidence that aggressive risk factor management with increased physical activity should be an integral component of management of atrial fibrillation,” said lead researcher Dr.

Prashanthan Sanders, director of the Center for Heart Rhythm Disorders at the University of Adelaide in Australia.

Atrial fibrillation, the most common abnormal heart rhythm, affects about 2.7 million Americans, according to the American Heart Association. Obesity and inactivity are risk factors for atrial fibrillation, which can lead to stroke, the researchers pointed out.

The report was published online August 24 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
For the study, Sanders and colleagues assigned 308 patients with atrial fibrillation to one of three groups based on their level of fitness: low, adequate, or high fitness. All had a body mass index (BMI) of 27 or more, meaning they were overweight or obese.

The groups were followed for about four years to see how their level of fitness affected the recurrence of the abnormal heartbeat. Patients were also offered a doctor-led weight loss and exercise program.

Healthy Lifestyle May Prevent 80% of Heart Attacks

Middle-aged and older men were much less likely to have heart attacks over an average of 11 years if they drank moderately, didn’t smoke, exercised regularly, ate right, and control their weight, a new study has found.

Only about 1% of the men involved in the study fit into this ultra-healthy-living category. But they were 86% less likely to have heart attacks than those who ate poorly, were overweight, exercised too little, smoked and drank too much alcohol, the researchers said.

The healthiest men could still eventually die of a heart attack, of course, and the study didn’t say if they live longer than others.

Still, “there is a lot to gain and money to be saved if people had a healthier lifestyle,” said study lead author Agnete Akesson, an associate professor with the Institute of Environmental Medicine at Karolinska Institute in Solna, Sweden.

For the study, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, the researchers examined medical records and surveys of more than 20,700 Swedish men who were 45 to 79 years old in 1997. At the time, they had no history of cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure or high cholesterol. The researchers tracked them until 2009 to see how they fared.

8% of the men – 1,724 – did not practice any of the 5 healthy behaviors, and 166 of that group suffered heart attacks.

Of the 1% of men – 212- who practiced all 5 healthy behaviors, only 3 had heart attacks.
Based on their findings, the researchers concluded that all 5 healthy behaviors together could prevent 79% of first heart attacks in men.

Also, each behavior by itself reduced the risk for heart attack. For example, eating a diet rich in beneficial foods, such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, reduced-fat dairy and whole grains was associated with a nearly 20% lower risk compared to those who practiced none of the healthy behaviors, the study found.