Recent research showed a connection between high resting heart rates and the development of obesity and diabetes. Dr Yoshiyuki Shigetoh and colleagues (Kurume University School of Medicine, Japan) studied the impact of higher heart rates on the body's metabolism.

Researchers followed 614 participants over a period of 20 years. The study subjects were divided in four groups on the basis of heart beat rates- under 60, 60-69, 70-79 and over 80. Analysis of data revealed that study subjects who had rates of more than 80 were 1.34 times more likely to be obese, 1.2 times more likely to develop insulin resistance and 4.39 times more likely to end up diabetic as compared to compared to those with heart rates of under 60.

Researchers added: "These findings provide a mechanism that might explain how obesity and the SNS are linked. This may, in turn, increase understanding of their causal role in the development of heart attack and stroke, the leading causes of death worldwide."