Intense exercise can double your risk of developing a potentially fatal heart problem, a study has found. They found that athletes are 2.5 times more likely to experience irregular heart rhythms, or atrial fibrillation – a relatively common condition that can lead to strokes and heart failure. The threat was even greater among younger athletes, aged 55 and below, whose risk of atrial fibrillation was 3.6 times greater than that of non-athletes. Atrial fibrillation is the most common heart rhythm disturbance, affecting around 1.4million people in the UK. The condition causes an irregular and often abnormally fast heart rate, raising the risk of strokes five-fold.

Source: Daily Mail July 13, 2021 00:11 UTC