High cardiorespiratory fitness can lower the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) and atrial fibrillation (AF), even among individuals at high genetic risk of these conditions, according to an analysis of data from the UK Biobank. The study included data on 502,635 individuals. As expected, grip strength, physical activity, and cardiorespiratory fitness were inversely associated with incident CHD and AF events. Individuals were then stratified according to their genetic risk scores for these conditions. Again, higher grip strength and cardiorespiratory fitness were associated with lower risk of cardiac events. Of note, high cardiorespiratory fitness was associated with a 49% lower risk of CHD and a 60% lower risk of AF among individuals at high genetic risk of these conditions. “Elevated genetic risk [of CHD and AF] can be compensated for by exercise,” suggest the researchers, which “could encourage individuals to initiate a healthier lifestyle to reduce their overall risk”.