Researchers in Korea have conducted a study that showed that regular exercise in type 2 diabetic patients reduces the risk of atrial fibrillation (AF), a type of arrhythmia that is the main cause of sudden death.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a type of arrhythmia that causes rapid and irregular pulses in the heart. The main symptoms are palpitations and chest discomfort, and in severe cases, dizziness and shortness of breath also occur. AF is also a major risk factor for stroke and Alzheimer's disease.

A research team led by Professor Choi Eue-keun of Cardiology at Seoul National University Hospital conducted a nationwide study using data from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment (HIRA).

They studied regular physical activity changes and atrial fibrillation in 1.8 million type-2 diabetic patients without a history of AF between 2009 and 2012.

Previous studies have correlated the incidence of atrial fibrillation in diabetic patients with lifestyle habits such as smoking, drinking, and low physical activity. However, no studies have pinpointed the effect of increasing or decreasing physical activity on the occurrence of AF.

Accordingly, the research team evaluated the change in the activity level of 1.8 million patients with type-2 diabetes every two years and then the risk of AF for 5.6 years. Patients were classified as persistent non-exercisers (inactive→inactive), exercise dropouts (active→inactive), new exercisers (inactive →activity), and exercise maintainers (activity→activity) group.

Consequently, the risk of AF was highest in the persistent non-exercise group, and the new exercise group had a significantly lower risk of atrial fibrillation than the persistent non-exercise group by about 5 percent. 

Comparatively, the exercise maintainers group showed a 9 percent lower risk of AF than the persistent non-exercise group.

They further identified that diabetic patients undergoing regular physical activity with an intensity greater than or equal to 1,500 MET-min/week in new exercisers and greater than or equal to 1,000 MET-min/week in exercise maintainers were associated with lower risks of AF.

This result provides a basis for recommending an appropriate range of physical exercise to reduce the risk of AF.

Professor Choi said, “The research result that lifestyle correction effectively lowers the FA risk will emphasize the importance of active lifestyle correction to patients in the clinical field.”