Key Takeaways

Although many assume that those that do cardiovascular exercise regularly are less likely to develop heart issues, recent research found that athletes may have more than twice the risk of atrial fibrillation—or an irregular heart rhythm.

The study was a survey and analysis of 13 studies published over the course of 30 years from 1990 to 2020, encompassing more than 70,478 participants. Of those, 6,816 were considered athletes.

What Is Atrial Fibrillation?

Surprisingly, researchers found that the risk of atrial fibrillation was more than double for athletes, or 2.46 times higher than for non-athletes. Younger athletes were 3.6 times more likely to experience atrial fibrillation than those over 55. The July study was published in theBritish Journal of Sports Medicine.

The study also accounted for other cardiovascular risk factors such as type 2 diabetes or high blood pressure. When looking at athletes and non-athletes that all had these other risk factors, there was little difference in their occurrence of AFib.

The Risk May Not Be as High as It Seems

Chirag Barbhaiya, MD, cardiac electrophysiologist and director of clinical research for Cardiac Electrophysiology at NYU Langone Health, tells Verywell that while the numbers seem high, atrial fibrillation in young people is still considered fairly rare.

What Happens in Atrial Flutter?

Additionally, Barbhaiya says, athletes are typically more attuned to their performance and physical sensations, making them more sensitive to the symptoms of atrial fibrillation and more likely to seek treatment.

And as for differences across sports, Barbhaiya says that the intensity of exertion may account for the increased likelihood of atrial fibrillation for those who partake in mixed sports compared to endurance sports.

“The duration of the strain to the heart muscle is less important than the intensity of the strain,” Barbhaiya says.

For example, he says rowers and weightlifters come to mind, which put in intense effort for a short amount of time. These athletes have demonstrated tendencies for AFib as well. He also notes that some mixed sports have cultural behaviors that increase atrial fibrillation, especially alcohol consumption.

What This Means For You

There Is Some Good News

Overall, Barbhaiya stresses that are there are also several important positive takeaways from these findings.

“One of the most potentially reassuring findings was that if you have other risk factors, exercise didn’t seem to be an additional risk factor for you,” Barbhaiya says. “This suggests that if you have cardiovascular risk factors, then exercising actually isn’t a risk. It will often counteract the increased cardiovascular risk factors.”

1 SourceVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Newman W, Parry-Williams G, Wiles J, et al.British Journal of Sports MedicineRisk of atrial fibrillation in athletes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. 2021. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2021-103994.

1 Source

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Newman W, Parry-Williams G, Wiles J, et al.British Journal of Sports MedicineRisk of atrial fibrillation in athletes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. 2021. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2021-103994.

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Newman W, Parry-Williams G, Wiles J, et al.British Journal of Sports MedicineRisk of atrial fibrillation in athletes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. 2021. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2021-103994.

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