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- Title
Lower heart rate variability predicts increased level of C-reactive protein 4 years later in healthy, nonsmoking adults.
- Authors
Jarczok, M. N.; Koenig, J.; Mauss, D.; Fischer, J. E.; Thayer, J. F.
- Abstract
Background Inflammation and vagally mediated heart rate variability (vmHRV) have been implicated in a number of conditions including diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Consistent with the inflammatory reflex termed the 'cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway', numerous cross-sectional studies have demonstrated negative associations between vmHRV and inflammatory markers such as C-reactive protein (CRP). The only prospective study, however, showed the opposite: higher CRP at baseline predicted higher high-frequency heart rate variability (HF-HRV) at follow-up. Thus, additional studies are needed to examine the prospective association between vmHRV and CRP. Methods Healthy employees participated in a voluntary on-site health assessment. Blood samples and ambulatory heart rate recordings were obtained, and night-time HF-HRV was calculated. Useable heart rate data were available in 2007 for 106 nonsmoking employees (9% women; age 44.4 ± 8 years), all of whom returned for an identical follow-up health assessment in 2011. Bootstrapped (500 replications) bivariate ( r) and partial Pearson's correlations (ppc) adjusting for sex, age and body mass index at baseline (2007) were calculated. Results Zero-order correlations indicated that higher HF-HRV was associated with lower levels of CRP at both time-points (2007: r = −0.19, P < 0.05; 2011: r = −0.34, P < 0.001). After adjustment, HF-HRV remained a significant predictor of CRP (ppc = −0.20, P < 0.05). Conclusion In this study, we have provided in vivo support for the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway in humans. Cardiac vagal modulation at baseline predicts level of CRP 4 years later. Our findings have important implications for the role of vmHRV as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease morbidity and mortality. Interventions targeted at vmHRV might be useful in the prevention of diseases associated with elevated systemic inflammation.
- Subjects
CARDIOVASCULAR diseases risk factors; HEART beat; C-reactive protein; DIABETES; INFLAMMATION; CROSS-sectional method
- Publication
Journal of Internal Medicine, 2014, Vol 276, Issue 6, p667
- ISSN
0954-6820
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1111/joim.12295