Fast Heart Rate Linked to Cardiovascular Risks

2008-12-13 20:56:15 (GMT) (WiredPRNews.com - Health & Fitness, News)

New study identifies fast heart rate as indicator of adult onset obesity and diabetes related heart issues.

Wired PR News.com – A new study has linked having a fast heart rate to issues with the cardiovascular system later on. As reported by Health Day News, the Japanese study indicates that if a heart rate is too fast, then it may serve as a warning sign of impending heart problems caused by obesity and diabetes.

As outlined in the Health Day report, the study was conducted on more than 600 individuals who lived in a Japanese rural farming community. The results showed that those with heart rates of more than 80 beats per minute had an increased risk of developing diabetes or becoming obese. The subjects were tested in 1979, and followed up with over a period of 33 years thereafter.

The reason for the findings, as explained by Mercedes Carnethon of Northwestern University’s School of Medicine in the report, may be because “If someone has a consistently fast heart rate, it is because of increased input from the sympathetic part of the nervous system because the body is preparing to respond to stress… There is an increase in levels of blood glucose — essentially because the body is storing energy to prepare for fight or flight, so that predisposes to diabetes.”

The study was recently published online in the American Journal of Hypertension.

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