Healthy Lifestyle associated with low
risk of Sudden Cardiac Death in Women
Newswise, July 6, 2011 — Adhering to a
healthy lifestyle, including not
smoking, exercising regularly, having a
low body weight and eating a healthy
diet, appears to lower the risk of
sudden cardiac death in women, according
to a study in the July 6 issue of JAMA.
"Sudden cardiac death (SCD) [defined as
death occurring within one hour after
symptom onset without evidence of
circulatory collapse] accounts for more
than half of all cardiac deaths, with an
incidence of approximately 250,000 to
310,000 cases annually in the United
States," the authors write as background
information in the study. The authors
also note that no prior studies have
examined the combination of multiple
lifestyle factors and risk of SCD.
Using data collected as part of the
Nurses' Health Study, Stephanie E.
Chiuve, Sc.D., of Brigham and Women's
Hospital and Harvard Medical School,
Boston, and colleagues examined the
association between a healthy lifestyle
and risk of SCD. A total of 81,722 women
who participated in the Nurses' Health
Study from June 1984 to June 2010 were
included in the study, and lifestyle
factors were assessed via questionnaires
every two to four years.
A low-risk lifestyle was defined as not
smoking, having a body mass index (BMI)
of less than 25, exercise duration of 30
minutes/day or longer, and consuming a
diet closely related to a
Mediterranean-style diet (emphasizes
high intake of vegetables, fruits, nuts,
legumes, whole grains and fish, with
moderate alcohol intake).
During the 26 years of follow-up, there
were 321 cases of SCD among women
(average age 72 years at the time of the
SCD event) in the study. All four
low-risk factors were significantly and
independently associated with a lower
risk of SCD.
Not smoking, exercising and eating a
healthy diet each were inversely
associated with risk of SCD. BMI also
was associated with the risk of SCD,
with women having a BMI between 21 and
24.9 at lowest risk.
Women at low risk for all four lifestyle
factors had a 92 percent lower risk of
SCD when compared with women at low risk
for none of the four lifestyle factors.
"The primary prevention of SCD remains a
major public health challenge because
most SCD occurs among individuals not
identified as high risk," the authors
write. "In this cohort of female nurses,
adherence to an overall healthy
lifestyle was associated with a lower
risk of SCD and may be an effective
strategy for the prevention of SCD.
