Potential side effects of unhealthy lifestyle choices and health risks on basal and reactive heart rate variability in college drinkers.
OBJECTIVE
Emerging adults often begin making independent lifestyle choices during college, yet the association of these choices with fundamental indicators of health and adaptability is unclear. The present study examined the relationship between health risks and neurocardiac function in college drinkers.


METHODS
Heart rate variability (HRV) was assessed at baseline and in reaction to a paced breathing challenge in 212 college drinkers (53.8% women). Basal HRV served as a general indicator of health. Reactive HRV (during paced breathing) was used as a marker of an individual's adaptability to challenge. The relationship of HRV to alcohol use, cigarette use, exercise, sleep, and body mass index (BMI) was assessed.


RESULTS
Greater alcohol use and less exercise were associated with lower basal HRV. BMI was unrelated to basal HRV but was negatively associated with reactive HRV during the breathing challenge.


CONCLUSIONS
High levels of alcohol use and lack of exercise are negative correlates of cardiovascular and general health, even in apparently healthy college drinkers. The negative relationship between BMI and reactive HRV suggests that overweight individuals have reduced ability to psychophysiologically adapt to challenges; understanding the temporal course of this relationship is needed. This study highlights the importance of examining HRV at baseline and in response to a challenge to capture the active neurocardiac processes that contribute to health and adaptive responding. The suppressive effects of health risks on HRV are modifiable; thus, HRV may be useful in evaluating the health benefits of lifestyle change and in promoting change behaviors in college drinkers.
Center of Alcohol Studies, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA.
Tomoko
T
Udo
Eun-Young
EY
Mun
Jennifer F
JF
Buckman
Evgeny G
EG
Vaschillo
Bronya
B
Vaschillo
Marsha E
ME
Bates
D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D012119:Respiration; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology; D013334:Students / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014495:Universities; D055815:Young Adult