Men in their 50s with a resting heart rate above 75 may face more than twice the risk of an early death than their peers with lower rates, research suggests.

And those whose resting heart rate increased through their 50s faced a greater chance of cardiovascular disease in their 60s compared with those whose rate remained steady.

Every extra beat increase in resting heart rate from the first measurement was associated with a 3% higher risk of death from any cause, a 1% higher risk of cardiovascular disease and a 2% higher risk of coronary heart disease.

Researchers looked at data from 798 men, all born in 1943 in Gothenburg, Sweden.