Post #59708

Walking Faster May Reduce Heart Rhythm Problems Walking at a faster pace could reduce the risk of developing heart rhythm problems, according to a new study. Heart rhythm problems, known as arrhythmia, come in many forms: a heartbeat can be too slow, too fast or just irregular. Although some forms of arrhythmia can be harmless, others can increase the risk of having heart disease or a stroke. The new research, published in the journal Heart, looked at data from over 420,000 people in the UK who had self-reported their own walking pace. Of those, almost 82,000 also provided carefully measured data on their time spent walking at different paces over a seven-day period. The study defined three different walking paces: slow, average and brisk. A slow pace was defined as under 5 kilometers per hour; average was between 5 and 6 kilometers per hour; and brisk was over 6 kilometers per hour. Nearly 7% of participants said they had a slow pace; almost 53% said they had an average pace; and just under 41% said they had a brisk pace. Over a period of nearly 14 years, 36,574 participants — about 9% — developed some form of arrhythmia. The researchers found that an average walking pace was associated with a 35% lower risk of developing arrhythmia, while a brisk pace was associated with a 43% lower risk. The data from people who had carefully measured their walking pace also indicated that walking at an average pace for between five minutes and 15 minutes a day would be enough to reduce the risk of developing arrhythmia. Jill Pell, one of the authors of the study, told CNN, "The great thing about walking is that it is accessible to everyone. 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." #Reading