Detail in the way you walk could put you at risk of sudden cardiac death

Hitting 10,000 steps a day is a goal for millions of us. But the pace we walk at may be a more important target to focus on.

Research suggests brisk walkers—above 4mph—could slash the risk of suffering heart abnormalities like 'silent killer' atrial fibrillation by almost half.

British scientists, who tracked more than 420,000 adults, found the pace was most beneficial for women under 60 who were a healthy weight and those with pre-existing long term health conditions.

Experts argued the findings showed heart abnormalities could be prevented by tackling lifestyle factors like physical activity early on.

Cases of atrial fibrillation alone have doubled in just three decades, research shows, with more than 60 million instances now worldwide.

Sufferers can develop heart failure or even suffer strokes or sudden cardiac death—loss of all heart activity.

In the study, just over half of participants they had an average walking pace, with four in ten reporting a brisk pace and the remaining six per cent, a slow walking pace.

This was defined as walking at less than three miles an hour.

Average and brisk paces, meanwhile, were logged at between three and four and more than four miles an houe, respectively.

Over a follow-up of 13 years, the scientists discovered almost one in ten developed heart rhythm abnormalities including atrial fibrillation (23,526), cardiac arrhythmias (19,093) and an abnormally slow heart rate (5,678).

Factors that could skew the results, such as lifestyle choices like smoking status, were then accounted for.

Writing in the journal Heart, they found an average walking pace lowered the risk of all heart rhythm abnormalities by more than a third (35 per cent), while a brisk walking pace slashed the risk by 43 per cent.

Compared to those who reported walking at a slower pace, these two paces also cut the risk of atrial fibrillation individually by 38 and 46 per cent respectively.

The risk of cardiac arrhythmias also dropped by 21 and 39 per cent.

The scientists, however, acknowledged the study was merely observational and could not prove why walking quicker could reduce the risk.

The paper also had some 'limitations', they said, including the fact physical activity levels were self-reported.

Sedentary lifestyles in the UK, with Brits spending their workhours deskbound, then sitting in a train or car on their way home to sit down in front of the TV, have been estimated to kill thousands each year.

The WHO puts the annual global death toll from physical inactivity at around 2million per year, making it in the running to be among the top 10 leading causes of global death and disability.

Physical inactivity has been long linked to health problems like cardiovascular disease as well contributing to health problems like obesity, itself linked to an increased risk of type 2 diabetes and some cancers.

Alarming data last year also revealed that premature deaths from cardiovascular problems generally, such as heart attacks and strokes, had hit their highest level in more than a decade.

MailOnline has previously highlighted how the number of young people, under 40, in England being treated for heart attacks by the NHS is on the rise.

Cases of heart attacks, heart failure and strokes among the under-75s had tumbled since the 1960s thanks to plummeting smoking rates, advanced surgical techniques and breakthroughs such as stents and statins.

But now, other factors such as slow ambulance response times for category 2 calls in England — which includes suspected heart attacks and strokes — as well as long waits for tests and treatment have also been blamed.