Super Bowl loss can be deadly for heart, mainly for female fans

According to the study, emotional stress that some die-hard fans experience during a Super Bowl loss could prove deadly.

Super Bowl loss can be deadly
The study, based on mortality rates in Los Angeles County surrounding the defeat of the-then hometown Rams in 1980, has revealed that the death rate dramatically increases for both younger and older individuals after big sporting events like the Super Bowl in which LA teams played.

In their study, California medical researchers found that the Super Bowl loss is associated with increased heart-related death rates for men and women and in older fans as well, WebMD.com reports.

In a previous study, World Cup soccer game losses were linked to cardiac deaths, most of them in men, but the new study showed that mortality rates increased more for women compared to men and older people, according to the health news website.

The research team led by Robert A. Kloner, MD, PhD, of the University of Southern California, says the biggest cause is emotional stress that leads to a heart attack, and people with heart disease, diabetes, or those who smoke and are obese are at greater risk.

Study details
For their study, Kloner and colleagues examined data on death rates for Los Angeles County around the time of the Los Angeles Rams’ loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1980 Super Bowl XIV in Pasadena. They also looked at the aftermaths of the Los Angeles Raiders’ victory in 1984 Super Bowl XVIII in Tampa.

After comparing those rates with death rates during those same periods in non-Super Bowl years, the researchers found that Rams’ loss was associated with an increase in total heart-related deaths in men and women in Los Angeles County on the day of the Super Bowl loss and for the two weeks following the event.

The researchers also noted that The increased risk of death was more for older people over the age of 65.

Risk higher for female fans
They found that death rates due to heart disease and stroke rose more for women (27 percent) compared to men (15 percent) and older pensioners (22 percent), according to the health news website.

"The higher rates of female deaths surprised us," Kloner said. "More women are becoming avid sports fans, but some people suggested we think about the interaction between men and women. If a man gets angry and upset (about the loss), that's going to upset a partner."

On the other hand, the Raiders’ victory in 1984 did not show an increase in total death rates.

"The mechanism for this finding is not known, but it may be that atherosclerotic plaques in elderly patients are more vulnerable to rupture in response to an increase in catecholamines or stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system than are plaques in younger patients," Kloner and his colleagues said.

Risk is big for fans with weak hearts
The research authors suggest sports fans with weak hearts should be aware of the risks of watching the big game.

"Physicians and patients should be aware that stressful games might elicit an emotional response that could trigger a cardiac event," Kloner said.

"Stress reduction programs or certain medications might be appropriate in individual cases," he advises.

Kloner and his colleagues reported their findings online in the journal 'Clinical Cardiology.'