Heart Patients Told Sex Is Safe—but Not Affairs

Having sex is safe for the vast majority of heart patients as long as they use a little common sense, according to a report from the American Heart Association. Fewer than 1% of heart attacks are linked to sex and patients cleared for physical activity and capable of climbing two flights of stairs shouldn't fear that the next time they have sex will be the last, the report found. People with more severe or unstable symptoms should consult their doctors before resuming sex and all patients should avoid combining nitroglycerine with erectile dysfunction drugs.

"Our recommendations apply to anyone of any age with heart disease, including younger persons with congenital heart disease and other patients including patients in their 70s and 80s," the report's lead author tells Bloomberg. Only 0.6% of sudden deaths happened during sex, the study found—and of that 0.6%, around 90% were men, 75% of whom were having extramarital sex, generally with a younger partner and often after consuming large amounts of food or alcohol. (More heart disease stories.)