It’s Official: Snow Shoveling IS Bad For Your Heart!
So far, most of Western New York has managed to evade heavy, or even measurable snow. But sooner or later we're going to get hit hard. And a new study confirms the long-held belief that snow shoveling can lead to heart attacks and other heart illness.
The research was done at Kingston General Hospital, in Kingston, Ontario. Out of 500 heart attack cases brought to the hospital for treatment, 7% were connected to shoveling snow. Dr. Adrian Baranchuk, an instructor at Kingston's Queen's University, as well as a cardiologist at Kingston General, calls that percentage "huge".
The research points to three major factors in suffering heart attacks while shoveling: being male, having a family history of premature coronary artery disease, and smoking.
If you're concerned about your risk for heart attack while snow shoveling, you can find a list of safety tips compiled by Toronto's Emergency Medical Services here.
More From The New 96.1 WTSS
