Christmas is a time for cheer, merriment and of course, great food! Well, according to a new study that has been published in the Journal Medical, Christmas, particularly Christmas Eve, also happens to be when the most heart attacks strike. "The peak is very pronounced exactly on Christmas Eve and the following two days, so, I think it is something specific for the way we celebrate these holidays," said a researcher to a leading news portal.
Researchers analysed 238,000 heart attacks between 1998 and 2013. While researchers found that an average of 50 heart attacks occurred per day, the number spiked to 69 on Christmas Eve, with incidents typically occurring around 10 pm. Well, the holiday season happens to be when most people consume excessively unhealthy food and even travel long distances to celebrate the season and the festival. Emotional distress with acute experience of anger, anxiety, sadness, grief, and stress, too, increase the risk of a heart attack.
Researchers also noted that the risk was also heightened on New Year's Eve and at 8 am, with the highest risk found in people over 75 years of age and those with existing heart conditions or diabetes. And while the authors of this study conducted stated that their findings were but observational, it does call for a need for awareness, doesn't it?
We hope you have a safe and healthy holiday season...
