Physical Activity Associated with Reduced CV Risk in Those at High Genetic Risk

By Amy Orciari Herman

Edited by Susan Sadoughi, MD, and André Sofair, MD, MPH

The heart-healthy benefits of physical activity extend to people at high genetic risk for cardiovascular events, according to a report in Circulation.

Using data from a longitudinal U.K. study, researchers followed roughly 500,000 adults for a median of 6 years. At baseline, participants underwent grip strength tests and completed questionnaires on physical activity. Subsets of participants also had activity measured via wrist accelerometer and had cardiorespiratory fitness assessed on treadmill testing.

During follow-up, over 20,000 incident CVD events occurred. Among patients at high genetic risk based on genome-wide data, high (vs. low) cardiorespiratory fitness was associated with a 49% lower risk for coronary heart disease (CHD) and a 60% lower risk for atrial fibrillation (AF). Similarly, high grip strength conferred risk reductions of 31% and 39%, respectively.

The researchers say their findings indicate that "maintaining good fitness can compensate for genetic risk" for CHD and AF.