The Claim: Heart Attack Rates Rise During the Super Bowl
By Anahad O’Connor
THE FACTS: Is the Super Bowl a health hazard for diehard football fans?
In a number of studies, big games have been linked to spikes in heart attacks and other cardiovascular events. A study in The New England Journal of Medicine followed thousands of German fans during the 2006 World Cup, finding that cardiac emergencies surged on days the German team played, especially after dramatic games.
Last year, a team of scientists focused on the Super Bowl, looking at residents of Los Angeles in two different years when local teams were in the game. In 1980, the Rams lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers, and in 1984 the Raiders defeated the Washington Redskins. The study, published in The American Journal of Cardiology, found that compared with other years, deaths from heart attacks rose in Los Angeles on the day the Rams lost the Super Bowl and for two weeks afterward. The game, played in California, was highly charged, with the lead changing a half-dozen times.
Complete Story >> http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/02/health/02real.html