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Adulterers beware... it could raise your risk of heart attack 23rd March 20110 }" B( ?: q" A0 K
, i% X" g: f# h. }/ Z& ^2 tHaving a fling or one-night stand is already a risky business. But now there is another reason for adulterers to worry.) p5 L: p4 w, Q
6 m" H% x* a; s& VThey are probably more at risk of having a heart attack. % ]; z" F J. F" \; X9 D4 S- ~ ' v; d9 }- m/ P& T: c# J. x" DOccasional sexual activity is much more likely to cause a heart attack than regular sex, researchers have found.5 O! n W+ M% Q
7 o G1 S' s( Y) W$ oThe short-term risk of having a heart attack increases almost three-fold among those who rarely make love.: i7 V/ ^* ?. b
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Those who have sex more often reduce the risk of it causing a heart attack – which means happily married couples could have the advantage.4 E& Z$ g; G& Y& O3 A0 c* m( Q
8 P) B9 t6 T0 n; g" ~/ c' h9 bA review of 14 studies of heart attacks found the heart is under strain during any form of ‘episodic’ physical activity – something an individual only does rarely. 3 b0 T/ r! p: w$ C4 V 9 K6 J0 B8 K" d$ Y k& m( i$ g( ~Overall, there is a 3.5 times higher risk of such activity triggering a heart attack. ; V5 g) s P* v: P5 y% k- m V. J' ?
The risk after ‘episodic’ sexual activity – the kind associated with affairs and one-night stands – is 2.7 times higher./ V$ o( q8 c* h9 s) Y; o6 G
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But the more active an individual is, either sexually or physically, the lower the risk falls, said the review in the Journal of the American Medical Association. ! J" P6 c$ ?) w 4 I5 \# Y1 z, F" b. N) PThe relative risk of heart attack caused by a burst of activity falls by around 45 per cent for each additional time a person indulges in it a week. The risk of sudden cardiac death also falls by 30 per cent. 9 s c( T9 g! u% O8 h+ n' _9 V1 z$ v. B$ D$ n7 Z u& J
The researchers, from the Tufts Medical Centre and Harvard School of Public Health, stress that the number of heart attacks actually caused by sex will be low. - I- s, g9 h) T' l$ ]6 `: p! A6 V2 X: h
Like any physical activity, sex can increase the heart rate and blood pressure, which means the heart has to work harder. As a result, sex carries the same risk of triggering heart trouble as equally energetic forms of physical activity.% B* r5 w: H) N9 |
~" _7 Y" ~5 g v" S# v) O. s- D2 ?The higher risk during activity is then offset by a lower ‘everyday’ background risk for people who are fitter because they are more active.; X7 l% d/ I4 n1 e% B1 R9 g/ t: O
/ T/ v E9 G8 u% T @) s5 mAmy Thompson, senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, said: ‘It’s important to distinguish between what causes a heart attack, and what potentially triggers it.3 S& i5 _! w1 y. l' o& m
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'The study shows sex can act as a trigger, but this doesn’t change our viewpoint on the health benefits of physical activity.2 V: ?9 w5 l- Z, y8 [
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‘To help keep your heart healthy you should aim to do 30 minutes of moderate-intensity activity, such as a brisk walk or gardening, at least five times a week.# [; x+ [# s8 i
* f* o" d) B' V'Sex places no more stress on the heart than climbing a couple of flights of stairs, so people with or without heart disease need not avoid it.’