Can exercise trigger a heart attack?
Last winter, I heard about four men in Ottawa – ages 45-72 – who had heart attacks, all on the same afternoon and all while shovelling snow. Despite news reports like this, it is not true that Ottawa men will do just about anything to get out of doing their chores.
Nor is it true that exercise itself will trigger a heart attack.
According to Mayo Clinic cardiologist Dr. Sharonne Hayes: “All heart attack patients have had an underlying condition that caused the attack.” Most heart attacks in fact are 20-30 years in the making.
About half of all heart attack survivors, however, mistakenly blame the attack on one specific event—such as extreme exertion. (more…)
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