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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Int J Sports Med 2024; 45(01): 17-22
DOI: 10.1055/a-2152-7628
Review

Exercise and Atrial Fibrillation: The Dose Makes the Poison? A Narrative Review

Jonas Zacher 
1   Institute of Cardiology and Sports Medicine, Preventative and Rehabilitative Sports and Performance Medicine, German Sport University Cologne, Köln, Germany
,
Karlo Filipovic
2   Department of Electrophysiology, University of Cologne, Heart Center, Uniklinik Köln, Köln, Germany
,
Georg Predel
1   Institute of Cardiology and Sports Medicine, Preventative and Rehabilitative Sports and Performance Medicine, German Sport University Cologne, Köln, Germany
,
Thomas Schmidt
1   Institute of Cardiology and Sports Medicine, Preventative and Rehabilitative Sports and Performance Medicine, German Sport University Cologne, Köln, Germany
3   Schüchtermann-Klinik Bad Rothenfelde, Bad Rothenfelde, Germany
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Abstract

“All things are poison, and nothing is without poison; the dosage alone makes it so a thing is not a poison” (Paracelsus, ~ 1538 AD). This well-known quote seems to aptly summarize the current understanding of the interaction between exercise and atrial fibrillation (AF). A host of data strongly suggests that regular exercise has a protective effect against developing AF. A small but well-conducted group of trials also demonstrates beneficial effects of exercise in the treatment of AF. Recently, however, potentially detrimental effects of large volumes of high-intensity exercise on the probability of developing AF have moved into the sports-cardiological focus. This effect is well documented for elite athletes; data regarding the general population is less clear. This review presents the current data regarding the protective, therapeutic and potentially risk-enhancing effects of exercise regarding AF. The authors demonstrate that the benefits are clear and strongly outweigh the potential disadvantages.

Key words

atrial fibrillation - exercise - prevention - treatment - risk factor - athlete


Publication History

Received: 19 December 2022

Accepted: 03 August 2023

Article published online:
06 October 2023

© 2023. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial-License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

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