Exciting games of football 'bad for your heart'

	Intense strain: viewing dramatic matches can trigger a stress-induced event

Men are three times more likely to have heart attacks on days when their national football team is playing in a major match, researchers report today.

A study during the 2006 World Cup in Germany discovered that there were massive increases in the number of heart attacks and other coronary problems on days when the host nation was playing.

Researchers suggested that patients with a known history of heart disease should be given medication before watching big football matches because the effect was so significant.

The findings mean fans in Britain may have reason to be thankful that none of the home nations qualified for Euro 2008 because many will remain healthier as a result.

The German study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, shows that heart problems peaked on the day the hosts beat Argentina in a quarter-final penalty shoot-out, followed by the semi-final, when Germany were knocked out in extra-time by Italy.

The report said: "Apparently, of prime importance for triggering a stress-induced event is not the outcome of the game - a win or a loss - but rather the intense strain and excitement experienced during the viewing of a dramatic match, such as one with a penalty shoot-out."