Saturday, March 14, 2009

Traffic jams could trigger heart attacks

Traffic jams could trigger heart attacksIt's happened to almost every driver. You're late, creeping along for what feels like forever with no idea what's holding up all those cars in front of you. Well, as it turns out, traffic can make you sick. It can even kill you. German researchers have done a study linking traffic to heart attacks. The more time you spend behind the wheel, the more likely you are to have one. Scientists found women, the elderly, the unemployed and people who already have heart problems face an even higher risk. Jawad Ahmad's on the road four or five hours a day and wonders if all that stress is making him sick. "I gained almost 30-40 pounds since I've been driving," says Ahmad. "You sit and your blood pressure goes up, your stress level goes up and it has a big affect on your health." The American Heart Association's published a German study that found people exposed to traffic are three times more likely to have a heart attack within a few hours and not just if you're driving - KARE11

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