AHA: More Moderate-to-Vigorous Exercise Tied to Lower Risk for A-Fib
By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter
THURSDAY, Nov. 14, 2024 -- Higher amounts of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) are inversely associated with a lower risk for incident atrial fibrillation, according to a study scheduled for presentation at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2024, held from Nov. 16 to 18 in Chicago.
Souptik Barua, Ph.D., from New York University in New York City, and colleagues investigated the association between MVPA levels and the incidence of atrial fibrillation. The analysis included one-year, free-living Fitbit accelerometry data from 6,086 participants in the All of Us study.
The researchers found that during five years, 55 individuals (0.9 percent) experienced incident atrial fibrillation. There was a lower risk for atrial fibrillation with more time spent in MVPA (hazard ratio, 0.89). There was a stepwise reduction for 151 to 300 minutes and >300 minutes of weekly MVPA. Among a subset of 3,847 participants with genomic data, the association persisted when adjusting for atrial fibrillation genetic risk score.
"Our findings highlight the important need to meet WHO MVPA guidelines (≥150 weekly minutes of MVPA) to minimize atrial fibrillation risk, and provides more evidence on the role of wearable devices in helping individuals stay on track to meet these guidelines," the authors write.
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted November 2024
Read this next
Seniors With RSV-Linked Hospitalization Have Increased Cardiovascular Outcomes
THURSDAY, July 24, 2025 -- In older adults, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is associated with an increased risk for cardiovascular outcome, especially heart failure events...
Increased Risk for CVD Seen for Women With Premenstrual Disorders
THURSDAY, July 17, 2025 -- Women with premenstrual disorders (PMDs) have an increased risk for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), according to a study published online July 11 in...
Consistent Physical Activity Linked to Reduced All-Cause, CVD Mortality
FRIDAY, July 11, 2025 -- Consistently and increasingly accumulated physical activity (PA) is associated with a reduced risk for all-cause and cardiovascular disease (CVD)...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.