Men, Be Aware of Weekends There is more danger of dying of a heart attack   In France, middle-aged men are more likely to die from a heart attack on Saturday or Sunday than during the work week, according to researchers. The cause of this phenomenon is unknown, but it may be because "a great number of young men have very sedentary lives during the week, concentrating physical activities (sports, sexual intercourse, etc.) on weekends,'' Dr. Jean Ferrieres of Toulouse University School of Medicine in France suggested in an interview with Reuters Health. Older middle-aged men, on the other hand, may be at an increased risk partly because of their work stress or job insecurity, the researcher added. In the study, published in the September issue of Heart, Ferrieres and his colleagues analyzed data from the French National Mortality Statistics including more than 17,000 coronary heart disease deaths that occurred from 1987 to 1997. They found that 25- to 54-year-old men had a 20% greater risk of dying from a heart attack--usually a first-time attack--on the weekend than mid-week. Older men, in contrast, tended to be most at risk on Mondays, the report indicates. What Dr. Ferrieres advised is that "young men (should) practice sports or any other physical activity more regularly throughout the week to avoid excessive physical or sexual activities on weekends, and older men should practice regular and moderate physical exercise to avoid or lower Monday stress, thus reducing risk of coronary heart disease death." (end) © Khorhseed.com - Sep 2001