Nachos? Check. Beer? Check. ... Defibrillator?

Researchers confirm higher heart attack risk for nail-biting fans
By Katherine Thompson,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 31, 2008 4:41 PM CST
Nachos? Check. Beer? Check. ... Defibrillator?
Juergen Klinsmann, striker of the new German soccer champion Bayern Munich, presents the trophy to some 20,000 soccer fans in downtown Munich in this June 1, 1997 file photo. During the 2006 World Cup, heart attacks spiked as much as five-fold during Germany's most dramatic matches. (AP Photo/Thomas...   (Associated Press)

Viewers with weak hearts might want to stick to the commercials this Super Sunday, as a New England Journal of Medicine study shows a clear correlation between intense sports matches and spikes in heart attacks, the Los Angeles Times reports. In Germany during the 2006 World Cup, heart troubles jumped up to five times the average on big-game days.

US hospitals are gearing up for a similar flood of afflicted fans during Sunday's Super Bowl. "Once it gets too exciting, I'll be standing in the ER, waiting for them to come in," promises a Phoenix cardiologist. For those who'd like to keep ticking throughout the game, advice is to remember medications, and to leave the room when things get stressful. (More Super Bowl stories.)

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