A massive new observational study was conducted in the UK to look for the causes of sudden cardiac arrests (SCA) with the hope of learning more about the cause and give people the information they need to try to avoid them. The study, which is published the Canadian Journal of Cardiology, does not claim to be able to pinpoint exact causes in every situation, or even identify with certainty which types of things increase or decrease the risk of a SCA.

Instead, it is gathering together a large amount of data so that it can then be used to learn more about SCAs. This can then be used to start other studies, and hopefully lead people to making better health choices. The study looked at about 500,000 participants, which means it is a very large group and that tends to provide more accurate information. From that group, the study was able to touch on 56 non-clinical risk factors to be aware of.

Some things, such as eating fruits and maintaining a healthy weight, are clearly linked to a lower risk of a sudden cardiac arrest. Other things aren’t as clear. For example, when taken on its own, sitting at a desk in front of a computer for a living actually seems to have a lower rate of cardiac arrest. The study stresses the point that this is likely more due to other factors such as an improved financial situation, which allows people who work at a desk to eat healthier and engage in other healthy activities.

As the saying goes, causation does not mean correlation. To put it simply, people should not read this study and instantly try to make changes in their life to reflect every one of the areas that seemed to be linked to a lower risk. Instead, the study can be used by other researchers to try to come up with theories on why each of the items might result in a lower risk.

For example, drinking champagne is linked to a lower risk of heart attack. This may be because alcohol in moderation can result in thinner blood and lower blood pressure. Eating fresh fruit is another good thing according to the study, possibly because of all the nutrients in fresh fruit, but possibly also because people who eat fresh fruit tend to also have a healthier overall diet with less processed foods.

In a statement about the study, Huihuan Luo, the chief investigator and lead author, said:

“We conducted an exposome-wide association study, which examines the relationship between a wide range of environmental exposures and health outcomes using UK Biobank data, followed by Mendelian randomization to assess causal relationships.”

One encouraging thing the paper finds is that with the right information, people can easily and dramatically lower their risk of sudden cardiac arrest. This can be done without expensive medications, surgeries, or therapies as well, making it accessible to everyone. In the study, they explain:

“disease prevention through lifestyle modification represents a low-cost, easily implemented, highly feasible and high-yield approach.”

If, for example, people would eliminate just the worst 1/3 of the risk factors identified in the paper, they believe that about half of all sudden cardiac arrests could be avoided.

As with most things health related, however, this is easier said than done. Eating healthy, exercising, avoiding known dangers are all easy in theory but when it comes to saying no to that delicious processed food or yes to going on a walk rather than relaxing and watching TV, people often lack the motivation.

Hopefully this study will help to change that for at least some people.

If you thought that was interesting, you might like to read about why we should be worried about the leak in the bottom of the ocean.