A large international study found that respondents who did intense exercise in the hour after being angry or stressed had three times the risk of having a heart attack. The study led by researchers at McMaster University looked at 12,461 people in 52 countries who had suffered a first heart attack.
Greatest risk in evening
The average age of the respondents was 58 and three-quarters of them were men. The greatest risk was between 6pm and midnight.
In this study, people were asked whether they were angry or upset before their heart attack, or whether they engaged in heavy physical exertion. Being angry or upset doubled the risk. Heavy exertion also doubled the risk. But both together tripled it.
Regular exercise recommended
While there was no causal proof, it is known that emotional stress and exertion can raise blood pressure and heart rate, noted the lead author Dr. Andrew Smyth of McMaster University. That can affect blood flow to the heart and if the arteries are clogged, it could lead to a heart attack.
Regular exercise is recommended as a way to manage stress and to prevent heart disease. But many people do not do it often enough. Smyth says that at times of emotional stress, people should not exert themselves more than they usually do.
The study was published in the journal Circulation.
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