The temporal relationship between heart rate recovery immediately after exercise and the metabolic syndrome: the CARDIA study.
OBJECTIVE
Slower heart rate recovery (HRR) following exercise is associated with the metabolic syndrome, yet the temporal relationship between the two remains unknown. We investigated the cross-sectional and longitudinal associations of slower HRR following a graded exercise treadmill test (GXT) with metabolic syndrome components and LDL-C.


RESULTS
Participants aged 18-30 from the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults study underwent a symptom-limited maximal GXT at baseline (n = 4319) and 7 years later. HRR was calculated as the difference between maximum heart rate (HR) and HR 2 min after test cessation. Slower baseline HRR was associated with a higher cross-sectional level but not longitudinal (15 year follow-up) increases in blood pressure, triglyceride, waist circumference, and LDL-C. No cross-sectional or longitudinal association was observed between HRR and HDL-C. In contrast, participants with one or two or more metabolic syndrome components (National Cholesterol Education Program III and American Diabetes Association criterion) at baseline examination had significantly larger longitudinal declines in HRR [-3.48 (P < 0.05) and-5.64 bpm (P < 0.001), respectively] from baseline to year 7, when compared with participants without syndrome components (-2.40 bpm).


CONCLUSIONS
Slower HRR does not precede development of the metabolic syndrome, but appears after syndrome components are present.
Kizilbash
Mohammad Ali
MA
Department of Preventive Medicine, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.
Carnethon
Mercedes R
MR
Chan
Cheeling
C
Jacobs
David R
DR
Sidney
Stephen
S
Liu
Kiang
K
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005080:Exercise Test; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000503:physiopathology*