Resting Heart Rates Can Predict Heart Attack Risks

It’s been known for more than ten years that the resting heart rate can predict coronary heart disease in men. Now, for the first time, it’s been conclusively shown that a similar relationship exists in women. The study, which was published in the British Medical Journal, involved almost 130,000 postmenopausal women enrolled in the Women’s Health Initiative.

During an average of 7.8 years there were 2281 heart attacks or coronary deaths and 1877 strokes among the enrollees. After adjusting for cardiovascular risk factors, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and raised low-density-lipoprotein cholesterol levels, higher resting heart rates were linked with heart attack or coronary death. Women with rates above 76 beats a minute were 26% more likely to have a heart attack or death than those with a resting heart rate of 62 or lower. The link between heart rates and coronary events was stronger in younger (50 – 64 years) than in older women (65 – 79 years). There was no association between resting heart rates and the occurrence of stroke in these women.

Hopefully the publicity given to this report won’t lead to numerous women (and men) going to their doctors with worries about their heart rate. One’s heart rate changes from minute to minute in response to things like activity and emotion, and it may be hard to determine a true resting heart rate without a health professional’s help. And one way to lower your heart rate is through a good exercise program, conscientiously carried out. There is evidence from a French study that men with a decrease in heart rate over a 5-year period have a 14% decreased risk of sudden death.