A higher resting heart rate was significantly associated with increased risk of sudden death from a heart attack. These values were adjusted for: age, smoking, physical activity, BMI, diabetes, blood pressure, cholesterol, and exercise duration. Persons with the lowest risk of sudden deaths had resting heart rates less than 60.

Reference: Jouven X et al. Heart-rate profile during exercise as a predictor of sudden death. New England Journal of Medicine. 2005;352:1951-8. May 12, 2005.