Watching your team lose can give you a heart attack

Watching your team lose can be more than heart breaking, it can be fatal, especially for die-hard fans, warns a new study. "The emotional stress of loss and/or the intensity of a game played in a high profile rivalry such as the Super Bowl can trigger total and cardiovascular deaths," ABC Online quoted Dr Robert Kloner, a professor of medicine at the University of Southern California, as saying. "In contrast, a win in a lower intensity game may actually have a favourable effect on mortality," he added. According to Kloner, fans who get excited during sporting events and have risk factors for heart disease should consult their doctor before a big game. Drugs such as beta-blockers, aspirin or anti-anxiety drugs could help them, as could relaxation exercises, such as deep breathing, he says. "I'm not suggesting that people not watch the Super Bowl. People should be aware of this and I suspect it applies to other sports as well," he added. - Zeenews