As an extension to the question on afib in masters athletes: What, if anything, can masters athletes do to mitigate the prospective onset of afib?

Question

Dr. Peter Noseworthy, MD · Answer

What, if anything, can masters athletes do to mitigate the risk of atrial fibrillation? Well, others have discussed this at some length, but I would agree that if you have identified that you've had atrial fibrillation, it generally requires you to do some de-training, and that's something that most people are not terribly thrilled to hear about. But what you want to do is find a level of exercise that is sustainable, but that does not contribute to further arrhythmia risk. And that usually includes modifying the degree of endurance athletics that you're participating in.

Dr. Aaron Baggish, MD · Answer

What, if anything, can masters athletes do to mitigate the prospective onset of atrial fibrillation? To begin answering this question, a couple of background pieces of information about atrial fibrillation. Atrial fibrillation is indeed the most common arrhythmia and perhaps the most common cardiovascular problem that occurs in aging, highly-fit master's athletes. However, it's important to emphasize that afib still affects the vast minority of fit people, and thus it should not be a reason or a concern that gets in the way of people deciding to train or compete as they age. What can master's athletes do? Well, the science here is actually lacking. So my comments really reflect anecdotal experience over many years treating many masters athletes. The first and perhaps most important thing is to understand the right balance of exercise and rest. As we age, training exposure and training dose needs to be reduced and in some cases, changed. There needs to be an emphasis on more volume and less intensity. And we recommend no more than two high-intensity days a week. It's also very important to emphasize the importance of recovery. And in general, we recommend at least three months of the year be spent in some form of active recovery, which we define as a reduction in both volume and intensity of up to 50%. So this can be done after events. It can be done during off season and sports-specific athletes. But rest and recovery reduces the likelihood of all cardiac problems and specifically atrial fibrillation. Aside from that, some key things that may help although again, the science is still limited here would be proper hydration and proper nutrition, adequate sleep, avoidance or at least reduction of alcohol intake, and then making certain that metabolic complications of aging, particularly thyroid disease are not part of your problem. And this is something that requires either a general internist or a cardiologist to help you figure out.

Swimming

Strength

Triathlon

Photography

Track & Field

Nutrition

Physical Therapy

Running

Pets

Cycling

Podcasting

HealthCare

Musculoskeletal

Hockey

First Responders

Integrative Medicine

Chiropractic

Cross Country Skiing

Adaptive Sports

Climbing

Mental Health

Surfing

Tennis

Military

Mind Body

Scholars

Criminal Justice

Liquor

CrossFit

Golf

Soccer

Pickleball

Hunting

Public Speaking

Venture Capital

"As an extension to the question on afib in masters athletes: What, if anything, can masters athletes do to mitigate the prospective onset of afib?"