Football heartbreak is all too real

WE ALL know that supporting England can get quite stressful.

But scientists have now revealed that watching your football team can actually be bad for the heart.

Experts from Germany studied the hearts of 52 healthy men and 18 with known cardiovascular disease as they watched last year’s Uefa European Championships – when England lost to Italy in the final.

The blood pressure and heart rates of both groups of men soared to dangerous levels during crucial games. Readings stayed high for several hours. Tests also revealed an increase in arterial stiffness – stiff arteries are a major risk factor for heart attacks and strokes.

The scientists at the University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, whose study was published in the journal Life, warned that games ‘may trigger cardiovascular events by elevating emotional stress levels’.

Some experts say fans should hug each other more to relieve stress.