Weekend heart risk for young men

Weekend pursuits may put some men at risk

Weekends are the peak time for heart attacks for young and middle-aged men, research has found.

Mondays have often been cited as the critical day for heart attacks, with the impending stress of the working week thought to put some people at risk.

Conversely, it is thought that less men suffer heart attacks on a Thursday.

French researchers looked at data on heart attack patterns and death rates for the ten years between 1987 and 1997.

They found deaths from heart disease in men aged between 25 and 44 peaked on Saturdays and Sundays.

In men aged 45 to 54, death from heart disease peaked on Sundays.

But for older men Monday did seem to be the critical day.

Strenuous activity

Although no clear-cut explanation can be provided, it is possible that young adults engage in strenuous activity during weekends

Professor Jean Ferrières

The researchers, led by Professor Jean Ferrières, of the INSERM research institute in Toulouse, said: "Although no clear-cut explanation can be provided, it is possible that young adults engage in strenuous activity during weekends, thus increasing the risk of MI (myocardial infarction, or heart attack)."

Many people believe having sex can trigger a heart attack, but this is not supported by scientific evidence.

Belinda Linden, a spokeswomen for the British Heart Foundation, said research had suggested the most common day for heart attacks in the UK was Monday.

She said: "The researchers in this French study note that they have no particular explanation for the rise in heart attacks in this age group at the weekend.

"It is possible that an increase in physical activity, or in activities such as heavy smoking or drinking, may have an influence."

She said men could reduce their risk of heart attack by making long-term changes to their lifestyle such as quitting smoking, eating five portions of fruit and vegetables and taking regular exercise at least five times a week for 30 minutes at a time.

The research is published in the journal Heart.