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Updated: Jul 14, 2025

Catheter Ablation in Combination With Left Atrial Appendage Closure for Atrial Fibrillation
Published on: February 26, 2013
Exercise and Atrial Fibrillation: The Dose Makes the Poison? A Narrative Review
Jonas Zacher1, Karlo Filipovic2, Georg Predel1
1Institute of Cardiology and Sports Medicine, Preventative and Rehabilitative Sports and Performance Medicine, German Sport University Cologne, Köln, Germany.
Abstract:
"All things are poison, and nothing is without poison; the dosage alone makes it so a thing is not a poison" (Paracelsus, ~ 1538 AD). This well-known quote seems to aptly summarize the current understanding of the interaction between exercise and atrial fibrillation (AF). A host of data strongly suggests that regular exercise has a protective effect against developing AF. A small but well-conducted group of trials also demonstrates beneficial effects of exercise in the treatment of AF. Recently, however, potentially detrimental effects of large volumes of high-intensity exercise on the probability of developing AF have moved into the sports-cardiological focus. This effect is well documented for elite athletes; data regarding the general population is less clear. This review presents the current data regarding the protective, therapeutic and potentially risk-enhancing effects of exercise regarding AF. The authors demonstrate that the benefits are clear and strongly outweigh the potential disadvantages.
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