Walking continues to demonstrate its benefits. Besides being an eco-friendly mode of transportation, it has numerous effects on physical and mental health. The faster the pace, the greater the benefits: improved endurance, increased aerobic capacity, as well as favorable effects on cardiometabolic markers.

Numerous studies have already highlighted that walking reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases by regulating cholesterol and blood sugar levels, as well as by affecting blood pressure and improving blood circulation.

A study, published in April in Heart journal (of BMJ journals), showed that brisk walking can prevent cardiac arrhythmias − particularly atrial fibrillation. This is the most common heart rhythm disorder (with approximately 750,000 people affected in France). Its incidence has doubled over the past 30 years, mainly due to an aging population. It is characterized by rapid and irregular contractions of the atria (upper chambers of the heart). This condition increases the risk of stroke, hence the importance of proper management and prevention.

Researchers relied on data from about 420,000 subjects in the British Biobank cohort. The walking pace – slow (less than 4.8 km/h), moderate (between 4.8 and 6 km/h), or brisk (over 6 km/h) – was self-reported, with accelerometer measurements within a subgroup of 82,000 people.

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