A research study that appeared in the June 6 issue of JAMA states that healthy lifestyle lowers the risk of sudden cardiac death in women. Healthy lifestyle includes regular exercise, controlling obesity, healthy diet and no smoking.
The authors of this research study state that current mortality due to sudden cardiac death (SCD) in the United States ranges from 250,000 to 310,000 cases each year and accounts for more than half of all cardiac deaths. Sudden cardiac death is defined as death occurring within one hour after onset of symptoms without any evidence of circulatory collapse. The researchers write that this is the first study to have collectively examined multiple lifestyle determinants and SCD risk.
Stephanie E. Chiuve, Sc.D., of Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, and colleagues examined data from 81,722 women who had enrolled for the Nurses’ Health Study from June 1984 to June 2010. The participants were assessed for their lifestyle and associated risks via questionnaires every 2 to 4 years. The researchers classified low risk lifestyle as not smoking, BMI (Body Mass Index) of less than 25, minimum of 30 minutes exercise per day, and a daily diet similar to the Mediterranean- style, which includes high intake of vegetables, fruits, nuts, legumes, whole grains, fish and moderate alcohol use.
Being a prospective cohort study, the 26 year follow up period revealed 321 cases of SCD among women with an average age at the time of the event of 72 years.
The lifestyle factors mentioned above had a direct correlation with the incidence of SCD. Not smoking, regular exercising and eating a healthy diet were inversely proportional to SCD risk. A low BMI was also associated with a lower risk of SCD with the safest range from 21 to 24.9.
Women with all the good life style habits had a 92% lower SCD risk compared to those with none of the four good factors.
The authors of this research study state that Sudden Cardiac Death is still a major public health challenge as it occurs in individuals believed to be at lower risk.
A combined approach of practicing all the four risk lowering lifestyle factors may be an effective strategy to lower the SCD risk, as has been shown by this female nurses’ study.
Stephanie E. Chiuve, ScD; Teresa T. Fung, ScD; Kathryn M. Rexrode, MD, MPH; Donna Spiegelman, ScD; JoAnn E. Manson, MD, DrPH; Meir J. Stampfer, MD, DrPH; Christine M. Albert, MD, MPH
JAMA. 2011;306(1):62-69. doi: 10.1001/jama.2011.907
Written by Barry Windsor