Brisk Walking Linked to Lower Risk of Cardiac Arrhythmias

New research from the UK Biobank reveals how walking pace may play a critical role in heart rhythm health.

A large-scale study from UK Biobank researchers has found that people who walk at an average or brisk pace face significantly lower risks of developing cardiac arrhythmias, including atrial fibrillation (AF), when compared with those who walk at a slow pace. The protective effect was consistent across specific arrhythmias, including AF and ventricular arrhythmias.

Previous research has linked walking pace to various cardiovascular outcomes, but this study is among the first to specifically focus on arrhythmias. The research, led by Professor Jill P. Pell and a team from the University of Glasgow, examined data from more than 420,000 UK Biobank participants who self-reported their walking pace for nearly 14 years. In addition, over 80,000 participants wore accelerometers to objectively track their activity.

The goal is to understand how perceived and measured walking pace correlate with the risk of developing arrhythmias over time.

Key findings

• People who walk at an average or brisk pace have a reduced risk of developing cardiac arrhythmias compared to slow walkers.
• The protective effect was observed in all population groups, but was stronger in some.
• Metabolic factors explain some of this protective relationship.

Researchers categorized self-reported walking pace as:

• Slow: less than 3 miles per hour;
• Average: 3-4 miles per hour; and
• Brisk: more than 4 miles per hour.

The study found that those who self-reported walking at an average pace had a 35% lower risk of developing cardiac arrhythmia than slow walkers. For those who walked at a brisk pace, the risk reduction was even greater at 43%.

Data from over 80,000 participants who wore accelerometers for a week confirmed that spending more time walking at moderate and brisk paces was associated with a lower risk of arrhythmias, while time spent walking slowly showed no protective effect.

The protective effect of faster walking was observed across all groups, but it was particularly pronounced in:

• Women;
• People aged less than 60 years;
• Non-obese individuals (BMI under 30); and
• Those with existing long-term health conditions, especially hypertension.

This suggests that brisk walking could be an effective strategy for primary prevention and risk management in people with health conditions.

Understanding the protective mechanism

The researchers conducted mediation analyses to understand how walking pace might protect against arrhythmias. They found that about 36% of the protective effect could be explained by improvements in:

• BMI
• BP
• Cholesterol levels
• Blood glucose control
• Inflammation markers

In other words, walking faster appears to improve metabolic health and reduce inflammation, which in turn helps protect against arrhythmias.

Practical implications and study limitations

With AF cases almost reaching 60 million worldwide in 2019, the rise in arrhythmias has significant public health implications. The researchers suggest that public health recommendations should specifically promote faster walking pace, not just overall physical activity. Professor Pell explains, “Our study found that having an average or brisk walking pace was associated with a lower risk of arrhythmias over and above the benefits of being physically active. Furthermore, just 5-15 minutes per day walking at an average pace was sufficient to reduce risk. Walking is accessible to everyone. It does not require expensive kits or gym membership, and this amount of purposeful walking can be accommodated into busy lifestyles.”

The researchers suggest that public health recommendations should specifically promote a faster walking pace, not just overall physical activity. This could be especially important for high-risk groups identified in the study.

The researchers acknowledge several limitations to their study, including the “healthy volunteer bias” of the UK Biobank participants, who tend to be healthier than the general population. Additionally, the study primarily involved white British participants aged 40-69, so the findings may not generalize to other ethnic or age groups. Despite these limitations, the consistent results across self-reported and objectively measured walking pace strengthen the reliability of the findings.

A brisk step toward prevention

While arrhythmias are often associated with age and underlying heart disease, this research highlights lifestyle as a modifiable factor in reducing risk. Walking, already recommended for its cardiovascular and mental health benefits, could now be a key preventive measure against heart rhythm problems.

This study offers clear guidance for individuals looking to improve their heart health: walk more and walk faster.

For more information, access the complete study in the Heart journal.

Reference: Qin P, et al. Qin P, et al. Heart. Published online May 2, 2025. doi:10.1136/heartjnl-2024-325004