Higher Resting Heart Rate Linked to 2.2 Times Higher Diabetes Risk, Study Finds

A new study has found that a higher resting heart rate can increase the risk of chronic disease and diabetes.

According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the National Institute of Health used data from 2001 to 2018 involving 8,313 men and women aged 40 and above who participated in the Korean Genome Epidemiology Study. The study analyzed the correlation between the risk of diabetes and “resting heart rate, “along with its fluctuations.

Resting heart rate refers to the number of heartbeats per minute when taking sufficient rest.

Adults’ average resting heart rate typically falls between 60 to 100 beats per minute (bpm).

The study revealed that for both men and women, even if the resting heart rate is within the normal range if it exceeds 80 bpm, the risk of diabetes escalates to about 2.2 times higher than when it ranges from 60 to 69 bpm.

Additionally, the analysis of repeated follow-up surveys conducted every two years indicated that a reduction in heart rate by over 5 bpm correlated with a decrease in diabetes risk by around 40% for men and roughly 20% for women.

On the other hand, if the resting heart rate increases by more than 5 bpm, women face approximately a 1.2 times higher risk of diabetes, while there was no notable change observed for men. This is the first study to confirm this disparity between genders, according to the National Institute of Health.

Hyun-Young Park, head of the National Institute of Health, said, “If the resting heart rate is high, it can be a warning sign for diabetes, so it is necessary to check the health status in advance through check-ups.”

The results of this study were published in the international academic journal of the Korean Diabetes Association and the Diabetes & Metabolism Journal.