This new study states that the risk of having a heart attack increases in men after shoveling snow.
A new research discovered why men tend to have a heart attack after a big snowfall. A team of Canadian researchers conducted a study that focused on the effects that shoveling snow can have on men.
This new study states that the risk of having a heart attack increases in men after shoveling snow. Despite the fact that it might sound odd, the researchers discovered that the risk of heart attack in men is increased after a big snowfall.
A team of researchers from the University of Montreal Hospital Research Center analyzed data of more than 128,000 heart attack. All of them occurred between 1981 and 2014 from November to April. After analyzing the data, the specialists observed that almost 68,000 of these heart attacks occurred after a snowstorm.
The researchers also observed that more than 60% of deaths and hospital admissions were because of heart attacks in men. This suggests that the heart attack risk in men was bigger after heavy snowfall. The team also suggests that the risk is higher the day after the snowfall because men are the ones responsible for shoveling snow after a snowfall.
The findings of the study showed that men were 34% more likely to die from a heart attack after a snowfall. They are also 16% more likely to get admitted to the hospital after a snowfall. The researchers observed that this is not the case for women because they did not see any increase in a heart attack in women after a snowfall.
The researchers also stated that shoveling snow is a duty that is usually done by men. They are more likely to shovel after a snowfall than women. This is why researchers believe that shoveling snow is the answer for the increased risk of heart attacks in men in winter.
“We suspect that shoveling was the main mechanism linking snowfall with [heart attack],” the researchers said. “Snow shoveling is a demanding cardiovascular exercise requiring more than 75 percent of the maximum heart rate, particularly with heavy loads.”
The researchers mentioned that some of the reasons for which shoveling snow can be responsible for a heart attack include the fact that people exhale hard while lifting the snow and that the cold temperatures cause blood vessels to constrict.
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