Association of metabolic syndrome with impaired heart rate recovery and low exercise capacity in young male adults

Summary Background Impaired heart rate recovery (HRR) is a powerful predictor of overall mortality. Aim The aim of the present study is to assess HRR in young adult males with metabolic syndrome and to compare HRR with those of obese patients who do not meet the criteria for metabolic syndrome. Patients and methods Sixty‐four newly diagnosed and untreated young male subjects (24 ± 3 years) with metabolic syndrome and 40 age and sex matched obese or overweight control subjects (ages 23 ± 3 years) were enrolled in the study. All subjects performed a symptom limited exercise stress test under the standard Bruce protocol. HRR was calculated in the first, second and third minutes of the recovery period. The relationship between metabolic syndrome and HRR was evaluated via logistic regression analysis and a P‐value