A higher resting heart rate is associated with an increased risk of developing diabetes. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Feb. 22 (Korea Bizwire) – A recent study has revealed that a higher resting heart rate is associated with an increased risk of developing diabetes, a chronic condition.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency reported that the National Institute of Health used data from 8,313 participants aged 40 and above, who took part in the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study from 2001 to 2018, to analyze the relationship between resting heart rate, its fluctuations, and the risk of diabetes.
Resting heart rate refers to the number of heartbeats per minute while at rest, with the normal range for adults known to be approximately 60 to 100 beats per minute (bpm).
The study found that for both men and women, even within the normal range, those with a resting heart rate over 80 bpm had about a 2.2 times higher risk of diabetes compared to those with a rate between 60 and 69 bpm.
Furthermore, a longitudinal study with a two-year interval showed that a decrease in heart rate by more than 5 bpm reduced the risk of diabetes by about 40% for men and 20% for women.
On the other hand, an increase in resting heart rate by more than 5 bpm was associated with a 20 percent higher risk of diabetes in women, while no significant change was observed in men. This gender difference in the findings is a first in such research, according to the National Institute of Health.
Park Hyun-Young, director of the National Institute of Health, emphasized the importance of monitoring one’s health, stating, “A high resting heart rate could be a warning sign for diabetes, so it’s crucial to check one’s health status regularly through health screenings.”
The findings of this study have been published in the international journal of the Korean Diabetes Association, the Diabetes & Metabolism Journal.
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
