A new study done by researchers from the Canterbury Christ Church University, U.K has found that playing sports could harm the heart. Researchers decided to conduct the survey after Christina Eriksen, a midfielder, had heart failure at an opening group match. Despite athletes having generally good cardiovascular health, they are also 2.5 times more likely to have an irregular heartbeat.
Athletes who play mixed sports are at a higher risk
Researchers found that athletes who play mixed sports like soccer, netball, and rugby are at a higher risk of having irregular heartbeat than those who play endurance sports like rowing, orienteering, and skiing.
Past studies have led to the discovery that physical activity reduces the risk of illness, death and is also suitable for cardiovascular health. However, this only applies up to a certain threshold. Exercising beyond this threshold could cause cardiovascular diseases such as atrial fibrillation (AFib). AFib is an irregular heartbeat and can increase the chances of having heart failure or stroke. In AFib, the heart either beats too fast or too slow. It can come about in short episodes or permanently.
How researchers conducted the study
The researchers reviewed 13 separate studies which were published between 1990 and 2020. They looked through information on 70,47 participants, 6816 of whom were athletes. The athletes played in various sports such as netball, cycling, rugby, running, swimming, soccer, Nordic skiing, rowing, and orienteering.
The results showed that athletes were 2.46 times more likely to get AFib when compared to non-athletes. Among participants with no risk factors for cardiovascular disease, athletes had a risk that was 3.47 times higher. Results also showed that participants under 55 were 3.6 times more likely to get AFib than older athletes even though they had a risk that was 76% higher than non-athletes.
Scientists still don’t know why the disease affects younger athletes more than older ones. However, they speculate that it could be because of the surge in hormone levels during physical activity.
Researchers concluded that athletes were more likely to get atrial fibrillation than non-athletes. Younger athletes were also at a greater risk compared to older ones. They noted, however, that more research was needed to find the risk of atrial fibrillation in the case of gender, competition history and training among athletes.
