•  
  •  
 

RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN HEART RATE RECOVERY AND CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE RISK FACTORS IN ADULTS ACROSS THE LIFESPAN

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Heart rate recovery (HRR) is a valuable tool for providing insight into risks of all-cause mortality as well as cardiovascular disease (CVD). To-date, limited data exists regarding the relationships between HRR and meaningful risk factors such as blood pressure (BP), resting heart rate (HR), and body fat percentage (%BF), especially across the lifespan. Therefore, our purpose was to discover potential relationships between measures of HRR and relevant CVD risk factors in adults across the lifespan. METHODS: Thirty-four individuals (25 male, 9 female) across the lifespan (20-71 yrs) were assessed on two separate occasions. During the first visit, a SphygomoCor device was used to quantify resting BP, HR, and augmentation index (Alx, proxy of systemic vascular resistance). A DEXA was performed to derive measures of %BF, and a handheld dynamometer was used to determine maximal strength. The second visit consisted of a maximal ramp (25-35 Watt ramp, pending fitness status) cycle ergometry exercise test. Maximal cardiorespiratory fitness (VO2max) was confirmed by a HR reaching within 10 beats∙min-1 of age predicted maximum, a respiratory exchange ratio >1.10, and a rating of perceived exertion >17. Subsequently, HRR was calculated as the difference between achieved maximum HR and HR at 30 s, 1 min, and 2 min of recovery. Pearson correlation coefficients were used to assess relationships, and a p≤0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: Each HRR timepoint was significantly (p<0.05) related to BF% (r = -.444 to -.472). The 30 s (r = .360) and 2 min (r = .348) HRR timepoints were significantly (p<0.05) related to handgrip. At 2 min, HRR was related to cardiorespiratory fitness (r = .477; p=0.004), Alx (r = -.352; p=0.041), and resting HR (r = -.404; p=0.018). CONCLUSION: We determined relationships between HRR and CVD risk factors were time dependent. That is, the 2-min timepoint was correlated with the most markers of cardiovascular function (e.g., VO2max). Immediately following cessation of exercise, the 30 s timepoint was also related to modifiable risk factors (e.g., %BF). In agreement with previous findings, HRR was correlated to systemic vascular resistance, but here we extended this relationship to older adults. Overall, these findings highlight the utility of HRR, especially at the 2 min timepoint, as a valuable assessment of CVD risk.

This document is currently not available here.

Share

COinS