Why sex won’t cause you a heart attack

FOR THOSE who want to grow old disgracefully, it could be good news.
By The Newsroom
Published 21st Sep 2015, 20:20 BST
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Unique ID: REFR0292 Caption: Ambulance response to a 999 emergency call. Rapid response emergency service healthcare. A vehicle with flashing lights painted yellow travelling along a road. Restrictions: NHS Photo Library - for use in NHS, local authority Social Care services and Department of Health material only Copyright: ©Crown Copyright

A study has found no evidence that sex can trigger a heart attack, even in patients who have had one already.

Scientists rated intercourse as “moderate” activity, equivalent to climbing two staircases or taking a brisk walk.

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The researchers compared sexual activity and rates of fatal heart attack, stroke and death from heart disease in a group of 536 heart patients aged 30 to 70. Participants were asked about their levels of sexual activity in the 12 months before a heart attack. Over a period of 10 years, no correlation was seen between having sex and heart attacks.

Professor Dietrich Rothenbacher, from the University of Ulm in Germany, said: “Based on our data, it seems very unlikely that sexual activity is a relevant trigger of heart attack.

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