Even Light Exercise May Lower Stroke Risk For People With A-fib

MONDAY, Aug. 10, 2026 (HealthDay News) — If you have atrial fibrillation, or A-fib, getting moving may make a real difference.

A-fib is an irregular heartbeat that raises the risk of stroke — and it affects an estimated 10.5 million adults in the U.S. Yet research shows that people with A-fib tend to be less active than the general population.

A new study of more than 87,000 adults found that even a little physical activity was tied to better odds of avoiding stroke and death — and the benefits held up whether or not participants had A-fib.

Compared to adults who were inactive, those with light activity levels were 9% less likely to have a stroke. Moderate and high activity showed an even greater reduction, cutting the risk by nearly 20%.

Staying active was also linked to an 11% to 22% drop in the risk of death from any cause.

And among adults with A-fib, those who stayed active lived up to 1.2 years longer than those who didn't.

Researchers hope the findings motivate patients to get moving, at any pace.

“I hope our results will increase awareness among clinicians and people with A-fib about the benefits of even low levels of physical activity," said lead author Kristoffer Johansen, a postdoctoral fellow at UiT The Arctic University of Norway. "Real health benefits can happen no matter when a person starts getting active, and even a little exercise is better than nothing."

The study was published Aug. 5 in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

More information

The Mayo Clinic has more on atrial fibrillation.

SOURCE: HealthDay TV, Aug. 10, 2026