Weekend warriors and occasional exercisers may be putting themselves at risk for a heart attack. That’s the conclusion of a new analysis of 14 previous studies. Researchers evaluated the likelihood of heart attacks, cardiac deaths or acute heart problems for people who had occasional vigorous physical or sexual activity.
The risk of experiencing a heart attack more than tripled shortly after this episodic exertion and the possibility of dying from coronary causes was almost five times greater. This should not discourage people from either exercising or having sex. Quite the contrary. The researchers report that people who exercise regularly were less likely to suffer a heart attack or sudden cardiac death. The bottom line appears to be that regular exercise is healthy, whereas occasional exertion can be deadly.
[JAMA, March 23/30, 2011]
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