Secret to living longer could be hidden inside very easy brisk walking exercises

Could simply picking up the pace on your daily walk be the secret to a healthier heart?

Scientists believe promoting efforts for people to walk faster “may be a safe and effective way” to cut deaths from stroke and cardiac arrest. Scientists from Glasgow University data from 222,000 participants in the UK Biobank project which tracks their lifestyles, genetics and medical histories over their lifetimes.

Over a period of 13 years, some 36,574 people developed heart rhythm problems. Their conditions included atrial fibrillation (AF) - when the heart's upper chambers beat irregularly and too fast - as well as an abnormally slow heartbeat, and ventricular arrhythmias, or when an abnormal heart rhythm starts in the lower chambers.

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An average or brisk walking pace cut the risk of heart rhythm problems by 35% and 43% respectively, compared to those who reported walking at a slow pace. The risk of AF was slashed by 46% among those who walked the fastest.

The study, published in the journal Heart, concluded that the findings "reinforce the promotion of faster walking pace" in exercise recommendations.

Heart rhythm problems can increase the risk of stroke, heart failure, and cardiac arrest if left untreated. They happen when there's a fault with the electrical system that makes the heart beat and can also be caused by conditions like high , heart attacks, or some medicines or viruses.

The study defined a slow pace as less than three miles an hour, while an average pace was three to four miles an hour and a brisk pace was more than four miles an hour. Data on the amount of time spent walking was available for 81,956 people in the study. Some 4,117 of these people went on to develop arrhythmias during the follow-up period.

Researchers found that spending more time walking at an average or brisk pace was linked to a 27% lower risk of developing problems.

Author Professor Jill Pell said: “This study is the first to explore the pathways underpinning the association between walking pace and arrhythmias, and to provide evidence that metabolic and inflammatory factors may have a role: walking faster decreased the risk of obesity and inflammation, which, in turn, reduced the risk of arrhythmia.

“This finding is biologically plausible because cumulative epidemiological studies have shown that walking pace is inversely associated with metabolic factors, such as obesity, fasting glucose, diabetes, and [high blood pressure] which, in turn, are associated with the risk of arrhythmias.”

It comes after the reported previous research suggesting short bursts of exercise such as climbing the stairs or carrying heavy shopping reduce risk of heart attack by half.

The study, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, used data from 81,052 middle-aged people taking part in the UK Biobank study, who wore an activity tracker for seven days between 2013 and 2015.

Fewer than five minutes a day of such bursts of effort, such as walking quickly for the bus or walking uphill, have been shown to have a big impact, especially for women.

Women who recorded a daily average of 3.4 minutes of intense activity - but did no formal exercise - were 45% less likely to have either a heart attack, stroke or heart failure compared to women who did not manage any activity. Specifically, the risk of a heart attack was 51% lower, and the risk of developing heart failure was 67% lower.