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June 12, 2026European Journal of Preventive CardiologyOpen Access

Physical activity duration is not linked to increased risk of ILR-detected incident AF.

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Why the study?

Previous studies reported physical activity subjectively and only included symptomatic AF, leaving the relationship between accelerometer-measured physical activity and both symptomatic and asymptomatic AF unclear.

Does physical activity level affect the risk of incident atrial fibrillation detected on implantable loop recorder in men without prior AF?

Population

864 men without history or symptoms of AF from the VENTOUX and LOOP studies

Comparison

Physical activity levels assessed via ILR accelerometer

Design

Individual participant pooled analysis

Follow-up

First 3 years

Key result

Physical activity duration was not associated with an increased risk of incident atrial fibrillation detected on implantable loop recorder (HR 0.937; 95% CI 0.835-1.050; P=0.263).

Authors

BCB ChambersSDS Z DiederichsenWJW Javed

Discussion

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Overview

No increased AF risk after adjustment in athletes; leaves open dose-response effects in larger cohorts.

Key Points

  • This analysis explores how physical activity, measured objectively, relates to atrial fibrillation occurrence detected by implantable loop recorders.
  • Included male participants from VENTOUX (n=106) and LOOP (n=758) studies, with no history of AF.
  • Measured physical activity over follow-up using accelerometer data from ILR.
  • Conducted Cox regression analysis adjusted for CHARGE-AF score.
  • 31% of participants developed AF, with only 7% experiencing symptoms.
  • No significant association between physical activity hours/day and AF incidence (HR 0.937, 95% CI 0.835-1.050, p=0.263).
  • Higher physical activity was associated with increased symptom presentation among AF patients (OR 9.29, 95% CI 1.55-55.78, p=0.015).

Study Design

Type

Observational (n=864)

Multicenter

Yes

Structured PICO

Does physical activity level affect the risk of incident atrial fibrillation detected on implantable loop recorder in men without prior AF?

P
Population
864 male participants without prior atrial fibrillation, including veteran athletes and asymptomatic individuals with a stroke risk factor, monitored via implantable loop recorder for 3 years.
E
Exposure
Physical activity measured by accelerometer from implantable loop recorder (ILR)
C
Comparator
Lower levels of physical activity (e.g., 0-1 hours per day)
O
Outcome
Time to onset of first AF episode lasting ≥6 minutes occurring within the first 3 yearshard clinical

Main Result

Hazard Ratio: 0.937 (95% CI 0.835–1.05)

p-value: p=0.263

Physical activity level was not associated with incident AF detected on ILR, but higher physical activity was associated with a greater likelihood of being symptomatic at AF onset.

Cite This Study

Chambers et al. (2026) conducted an observational in Atrial Fibrillation (n=864). Physical activity vs. Lower physical activity was evaluated on Time to onset of first AF episode lasting ≥6 minutes occurring within the first 3 years (HR 0.937, 95% CI 0.835-1.050, p=0.263). Physical activity duration was not associated with an increased risk of incident atrial fibrillation detected on implantable loop recorder (HR 0.937; 95% CI 0.835-1.050; P=0.263).

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a2bd11d6550ea4541ffe86dhttps://doi.org/10.1093/eurjpc/zwag249.395
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Also Consider

Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context:

  1. 1The timing and relationship of atrial fibrillation with exercise in veteran male endurance athletes2026
  2. 2Emerging risk factors and the dose–response relationship between physical activity and lone atrial fibrillation: a prospective case–control study2015 · 150 citations
  3. 3Self-reported physical activity and major adverse events in patients with atrial fibrillation: a report from the EURObservational Research Programme Pilot Survey on Atrial Fibrillation (EORP-AF) General Registry2016 · 56 citations
  4. 4Atrial fibrillation is associated with different levels of physical activity levels at different ages in men2014 · 179 citations
  5. 5Impact of patient phenotype on the relationship between accelerometer-derived physical activity and cardiovascular events in atrial fibrillation2025