Month: April 2013

Even fit men with higher resting heart rates may have a higher risk of early death, a new study finds. The study included nearly 2,800 men who were middle-aged when they joined a health study in 1970. Researchers kept track of them for 16 years. The new study focused on resting heart rate. That’s how fast your heart beats when you are relaxed and sitting still. Men whose resting heart rate was at least 80 beats per minute died earlier, on average, than men with a heart rate of 65 beats per minute. This was true even for men who exercised regularly. Researchers also adjusted the numbers to account for age, health habits and other factors. A higher heart rate was still linked with earlier death. The risk of death increased 16% for each 10 beats per minute in the resting heart rate. The journal Heart published the study online. HealthDay News wrote about it April 16.

A Western-style diet can undermine healthy aging, a new study finds. A Western diet includes fried foods, sweets, processed and red meats, refined grains and high-fat dairy products. The study included 5,350 middle-aged adults who provided information about their diets. Researchers kept track of their health for the next 16 years. About 4% went through “ideal aging.” They had no long-term (chronic) conditions, such as diabetes or heart disease. They also had high scores for physical and mental functioning. About 3% of the total group died of a heart attack or stroke during the study. Another 13% had nonfatal events. About 7% died from other causes. The other 73% survived and had “normal aging,” researchers said. People who followed a Western-style diet were less likely to have ideal aging than those with healthier diets.