Protective Role of Resting Heart Rate on All-Cause and Cardiovascular Disease Mortality

Researchers followed adults and compared their resting heart rates, meaning their pulse when relaxed, with later deaths. They looked at death from any cause and death from cardiovascular disease, meaning heart and blood vessel problems. People with lower resting heart rates generally had lower death rates than people with higher rates. This was an observational study, so it showed a link but could not prove that lowering the pulse itself prevents death.

What this means for you: You can ignore products promising to lower your pulse based on this study alone. A high resting pulse may be a useful health clue, but overall fitness, illness, medicines, and other factors also matter.