New Metric Combining Steps and Heart Rate may Offer Stronger Prediction of Heart Disease Risk
BOSTON, MA – A newly developed metric, dubbed DHRPS (Daily Heart Rate Per Step), could provide a more accurate assessment of cardiovascular disease risk than step count alone, according to research published recently. The metric, developed by researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital, analyzes the relationship between steps taken and heart rate during activity.
The study,led by Dr. Frank Chen and his colleagues, analyzed data from over 7,000 Fitbit users over five years, encompassing more than 50 billion steps. Researchers categorized participants into low (0.0081 or less), medium (over 0.0081, but lower than 0.0147) and high (0.0147 or above) risk groups based on their DHRPS score – with lower scores indicating lower risk.
“We certainly know that step count per day is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease and mortality through a lot of established studies,” Chen explained. “What we’re also discovering through our metric is that heart rate with respect to the number of steps is possibly a stronger independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease than just steps alone.”
Increasing daily step count is a simple way to improve, or lower, one’s DHRPS score. Such as, moving from an average of 5,000 steps per day to 10,000 steps would improve a DHRPS score from 0.016 to 0.008.
The research also suggests a correlation between DHRPS and VO2 max – a measure of the maximum amount of oxygen the body can use during exercise and a key indicator of aerobic fitness and metabolic health. Currently, VO2 max typically requires a clinical treadmill stress test for accurate measurement. If DHRPS proves to be a reliable proxy, it could offer a more accessible method for individuals to gauge their cardiovascular health.
Chen notes that at least a week of data from a smartwatch or fitness tracker is needed to obtain a meaningful DHRPS score.The findings are already gaining traction within the health tracking community, potentially paving the way for further research and data collection.
