Be careful if you are watching a heart-stopping sports event

♦ Watching sport on television puts viewers’ hearts under as much stress as going for a run, researchers have found.

A study in Canada discovered that heart rates can more than double when scoring opportunities arise or in the dying minutes of a game, regardless of how passionately a person supports one of the teams.

Scientists used heart rate monitors on viewers watching ice hockey matches both on television and in the arena.

Those watching the games live experienced an average heart rate increase of 110 per cent, while there was a 75 per cent increase for those watching remotely.

The study, published in the Canadian Journal of Cardiolog y, advised doctors to warn patients at risk of cardiovascular ill health to be aware of symptoms while watching sport.

“Our analysis… supports the notion that it is not the outcome of the game that primarily determines the intensity of the emotional stress response, but rather the excitement experienced with viewing high-stakes or high-intensity portions of the game,” said Prof Paul Khairy, from the Montreal Heart Institute.