What is bradycardia? How to know if your heart rate is too low

Bradycardia, or a heart rate that is too slow, can be a serious condition, especially if the heart is not pumping enough oxygen-rich blood throughout the body.

 Sara Lindberg 11 hrs ago 30 Jan 2020

Here's what medical experts consider to be a low heart rate, how to know if you have bradycardia and the most common ways to treat it.

© Boonchai Wedmakawand/Getty Images

What is bradycardia?

A normal resting heart rate for an adult is 60 to 100 beats per minute (bpm), but someone with bradycardia will have a resting heart rate lower than 50 to 60 bpm.

According to Srikant Duggirala, MD, a cardiologist with Emanate Health, bradycardia means that electrical signals to the heart slow down or are blocked. For some people, such as endurance athletes, a low resting heart rate is common and typically not a concern. In fact, elite athletes may have a resting heart rate as low as 40 bpm.

Exercise training-induced bradycardia may be due to electrical remodelling of the sinus node, resulting in a lower heart rate and an increase in heart rate variability. This is a healthy response to the heart's ability to pump blood more efficiently, which means your heart can beat less, and your body can still get what it needs.

© Getty Bradycardia.But for others, it is a condition that should be supervised by a doctor. If bradycardia is not caused by exercise, a low heart rate means that your heart - which isn't as efficient as a highly-trained athlete - is not pumping enough oxygen-rich blood in the body. When this happens, you may feel chest pain, light-headedness, and shortness of breath.

Suzanne Steinbaum, a cardiologist at Mount Sinai Hospital, says that other symptoms of bradycardia can include dizziness, confusion, fatigue, or fainting. If you are experiencing these symptoms, and have a resting heart rate lower than 50 bpm, it's critical to see your doctor for an accurate diagnosis.

What causes a low heart rate?

While anyone can experience bradycardia, these factors may increase your risk:

• Age: Bradycardia is more common in older adults, specifically those who have damage to their heart from heart disease, says Duggirala. Older adults are more likely to have heart rhythm disorders because of age-related changes in the cardiovascular system, which are also associated with a higher prevalence of heart disease.
• Lifestyle factors: Tobacco abuse, substance abuse, high blood pressure, stress, and anxiety can also predispose patients (especially older ones) to heart disease, and consequently, bradycardia.
• Health conditions: Bradycardia can be associated with damage to the heart, such as a heart attack, heart disease, or congenital heart defects. Hypothyroidism - insufficient thyroid hormone - and sleep apnea can also contribute to a lower than normal heart rate.
• Medication: Additionally, Duggirala says medications prescribed for high blood pressure, coronary artery disease, and heart failure - such as beta-blockers and calcium channel blockers - can cause a low heart rate.

Treating bradycardia

© Getty Heart rate monitor.The first step in finding treatment is getting diagnosed, which requires a visit to the doctor. The doctor will measure your heart rate with an electrocardiogram, or EKG/ECG. But if nothing comes up during your visit - possibly because you have a minor case of bradycardia that only occurs occasionally - the doctor may give you a portable EKG to take with you.

Another handy gadget may be activity tracking features on devices like the Apple Watch. These devices can help track your heart rate 24/7 over many months and years, so it's easier to detect if and when you have bouts of bradycardia.

After you've been diagnosed, treatment depends on the severity of your condition. Steinbaum says borderline or occasional bradycardia may not require medical intervention, and if there are no symptoms, it can be generally monitored. But if you have chronic or persistent bradycardia, she says your doctor may treat it in a few ways.

"If medication side effects are causing the slow heart rate, then the medication regimen can be adjusted or discontinued," says Steinbaum. "Also, a pacemaker can regulate the heart's rhythm, speeding up the heart rate as needed."

Additionally, Duggirala says if hypothyroidism or sleep apnea is causing bradycardia, treatment of the underlying disorder will often help.

https://www.msn.com/en-my/health/medical/what-is-bradycardia-how-to-know-if-your-heart-rate-is-too-low/ar-BBZsmLI?ocid=ientp

Is this why the Japanese live longer?

Middle-aged adults who regularly eat miso paste added to sushi and soups are 10% less likely to die young, study finds

Vanessa Chalmers

4 hrs ago 30 Jan 2020

Middle-aged adults who regularly eat miso paste added to sushi and soup may add years to life, according to Japanese researchers.

Almost 100,000 people in Japan were quizzed about their diet and then tracked for 15 years. 

Those who ate trendy fermented soy products - such as miso and natto - were 10 per cent less likely to die an early death.  

The researchers say this is likely to be because these products are high in beneficial compounds which help keep cholesterol stable, for example.  

Soy products in general, such as vegan favourite tofu, did not have an effect on mortality. 

Miso, which means 'fermented beans', is a paste added to sushi, soups and salad dressings. Natto is a dish consisting of fermented soybeans which are sticky and stringy.

Recently, soy has been increasing in popularity particularly among vegetarians in Western societies who are searching for protein sources. 

© Getty Miso paste.But Asian populations have typically eaten soy since ancient times. 

People in Japan - who typically live up to 84 years in comparison to the UK's 81 years - often begin their day with a hot bowl of miso soup to kick start their digestion.

The team led by National Cancer Centre, Japan investigated links between several types of soy products and death from any cause and from cancer, cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, and injury. 

Data on 42,750 men and 50,165 women aged 45-74 years was collected from a study based in 11 of Japan's public health centre areas.

What else do the Japanese eat to boost life expectancy?

It’s widely known that the Japanese live long and healthy lives and experts believe it's down to their immaculate diet.

1. Fish 

© Getty Fish.

Fish are a great source of omega-3 fatty acids, responsible for maintaining a healthy heart. But not only do they keep the blood flowing, but they also benefit the brain, eyes and reduce inflammation. Fish are rich in selenium, which is vital for our antioxidant defences and immune system, and B vitamins that help to keep our brain chemistry in balance.

2. Seaweed

© Getty Seaweed.

Seaweed is rich in minerals, including iodine, zinc, magnesium, calcium, potassium and dozens of other trace minerals we need for our immune system, antioxidant defences and heart health.

3. Matcha tea

© Getty Matcha tea.

Matcha is a traditional powdered green tea made from the fresh leaf tips of the tea plant. Green tea – matcha in particular – is high in a specific type of flavanols called catechins. These substances are thought to boost our body’s antioxidant defences. 

 4. Pickled vegetables

© Getty Pickled vegetables.

Traditionally fermented pickled vegetables are a great source of natural probiotics. They can favour digestive health, help to digest and absorb the nutrients in the food we eat, which then benefits all areas of our health.

Participants filled in detailed questionnaires about their dietary habits, lifestyle, and health status, according to the findings published their findings in the British Medical Journal today.

Deaths were identified from residential registries and death certificates over a follow-up period of nearly 15 years.

The researchers found that a higher intake of fermented soy was linked to a significantly lower risk of all cause mortality at 10 per cent.

Total soy intake, including products like tofu, soy milk, okara, did not affect mortality.

5. Natto

© Getty Natto.

People who ate natto also had a lower risk of death from cardiovascular diseases, such as heart disease, than those who did not eat natto.

Natto is a traditional Japanese food made by fermenting soybeans with a fungus called bacillus subtilis natto.

No links were found between soy intake and cancer-related deaths.  

Results persisted even after further adjusting for the intake of vegetables, which was higher among those consuming larger portions of natto.

The authors point out that fermented soy products are richer in fibre, potassium and bioactive components such as isoflavone than their non-fermented counterparts.

Soy fibre has been shown to reduce cholesterol and keep weight stable, while isoflavone compounds may reduce blood pressure. 

However further research could investigate the exact mechanisms on the body.

In a linked editorial, experts said evidence such as this is increasingly suggesting that fermented soy products have health benefits. 

© Getty Natto snack.Kayo Kurotani and Hidemi Takimoto, of National Institutes of Biomedical Innovation, Health and Nutrition, Tokyo, wrote: 'Increasing evidence has suggested that fermented soy products are associated with health benefits. 

'Whether people eat those products depends on their food culture, but some countries already include soy and fermented soy products in their dietary guidelines.'

This is an observational study, so can't establish cause, and the researchers cannot rule out the possibility that some of the observed risk may be due to other unmeasured factors

For example, miso soup contained a high amount of salt in 1995 and 1998, when the surveys were conducted, before salt reduction measures came into place.

It could be that fermented miso is protecting those in the study from the health risks of salt.

https://www.msn.com/en-my/health/nutrition/is-this-why-the-japanese-live-longer-middle-aged-adults-who-regularly-eat-miso-paste-added-to-sushi-and-soups-are-10percent-less-likely-to-die-young-study-finds/ar-BBZsVRI?ocid=ientp

Robert O. Young - author of the "pH Miracle" book - MUST READ

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