Smartwatches are commonly used to track cardiovascular health by monitoring daily steps and heart rate. Researchers are now suggesting a new metric called DHRPS (Daily heart rate per step) that combines these two aspects using basic mathematics.
DHRPS provides insight into how efficiently the heart is functioning, according to a study conducted by researchers at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University. It was published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association and found a link between reduced cardiac efficiency and various diseases.
Lead author Zhanlin Chen described DHRPS as a measure of inefficiency and emphasized its importance in understanding heart health through simple calculations.
Experts see DHRPS as a valuable indicator of heart efficiency. Dr. Peter Aziz, a pediatric cardiologist at Cleveland Clinic, praised the metric for providing additional information beyond daily steps or heart rate.
Dr. Aziz highlighted the importance of measuring the work the heart has to do in relation to physical activity and noted the link between overall efficiency and disease risk.
Researchers analyzed data from about 7,000 smartwatch users and electronic medical records to validate the findings and confirm the relationship between DHRPS and disease risk.
The DHRPS metric is shown to be an effective predictor of cardiac risk based on a study of 6,947 participants. It outperformed traditional heart rate and graded numbers in identifying disease risk.
Lead researcher Chen emphasized the low-cost and user-friendly nature of the metric, allowing individuals to better understand their health through a simple calculation.
Source: www.nytimes.com