Doctors warn your resting heartbeat to predict if you run the risk of dying young



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One study suggests that a resting heart rate of 75 beats per minute or more doubles the risk of dying young.

Men whose heart rate increased between the ages of 50 and 60 were also more likely to develop heart disease.

    Having a resting heart rate of 75 bpm doubles your risk of dying young, experts warn

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Having a resting heart rate of 75 bpm doubles your risk of dying young, experts warn

A lower rest rate indicates better fitness and more efficient cardiac function, with a normal 50 to 100 bpm rate.

The researchers say that guys should try to reduce their heart rate by getting older by exercising regularly, eating healthily, and quitting.

The researchers took the pulse of hundreds of men twice, at ten years apart.

They then followed them for another eleven years to see how many of them died or were treated for heart disease or stroke.

Twice the risk of dying young

People whose heart rate was at or above 75 beats per minute at the start of the study were twice as likely to die than those whose rate was less than or equal to 55.

And men whose rate remained stable between the two tests were 44% less likely to develop cardiovascular disease than if they had increased.

Each increase in beat was badociated with an all-cause risk of death of 3% and a risk of cardiovascular disease of 1%.

He was also badociated with a 2% higher risk of coronary heart disease.

How to check your resting heart rate

You can check your heart rate by taking your pulse and counting the number of beats per minute.

To test your resting heart rate, it is important that you have been resting for at least five minutes.

Then you can check your pulse.

You can find your pulse in your wrist near the base of your thumb.

Or you can find it in your neck, pressing the side of your neck under your jaw.

Once you have found your pulse:

  • count the number of beats you feel for 60 seconds
  • count the number for 30 seconds and multiply by two

This will give you your resting heart rate in beats per minute (bpm).

The NHS considers that a resting heart rate of between 60 and 100 beats per minute is normal.

The more fit you are, the lower your resting heart rate will be.

Athletes usually have a heart rate of between 40 and 60 beats per minute.

If your heart rate worries you, see your doctor.

Dr. Salim Barywani, study director at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, said: "Monitoring the resting heart rate of patients over time can identify people at risk of premature death.

"Those who are at increased risk of dying young or developing heart disease may receive additional lifestyle counseling with a focus on physical activity and diet."

During the 21-year surveillance period, 119 of the original 798 men died before their 71st birthday and 237 developed cardiovascular disease.

Some 113 people developed coronary artery disease.

Men whose rate at the start of the trial was greater than 55 bpm were more likely to be smokers, less physically active and more stressed.

They were also more likely to have other risk factors for cardiovascular disease, such as higher blood pressure and weight.

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A 7-year-old boy died 15 minutes after his father saved a heart attack while performing CPR.

Ashleigh Li, of the British Heart Foundation, said: "This research only shows that a link can exist, it can not tell us why.

"Since the study only concerns men, we need a lot more data to really determine if this connection is true for all of us – men and women of all ages."

The results are published in the journal Open Heart.

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