Why watching the World Cup could kill you – late nights, beer, bad food and the roller coaster excitement could trigger a heart attack
It is especially risky for men with an existing or hidden heart problem when watching their favourite teams, studies suggest – but winning ways could have an unexpected bonus for society
Staying up late for games, lounging on a sofa for hours and snacking on fast food loaded with salt, fats and carbs all put more stress on the heart and affect blood pressure, not to mention the risk of a heart attack for soccer fans amid an emotional roller coaster as their teams battle it out in Russia.
It is especially risky for men with an existing or hidden heart problem when watching their favourite teams, studies suggest.
A stark reminder came from no less than Argentinian soccer legend Diego Maradona, 57, who reportedly fell ill in the VIP box on Tuesday while witnessing his country’s nerve-shredding 2-1 victory against Nigeria which kept the team in the competition.
During the 2002 World Cup, Hong Kong’s Queen Mary Hospital saw 22 admissions for acute cardiovascular events, while in the same period the following year there were 15 and in 2004 just 11.
