Back in the day, I was what you would call a diehard sports fan. Over the years I must say the love affair has cooled for a lot of reasons. I will be watching the Super Bowl this weekend for sure though, disappointed the Eagles aren't in it and would have preferred Packers vs. Patriots, but watching Brady is always fun!

The Super Bowl can combine a number of vices, but I didn't know it could be a downright health hazard. According to new study from the New England Journal of Medicine, heart attacks and other cardiac emergencies in Munich doubled when the German team played in the World Cup - tripled among men! They blame stress but also overeating, smoking, drinking and lack of sleep.

This is on top of a study from a few years ago out of University of Maryland that showed many men who suffered such health issues waited until after the game to deal with it. Blood pressure and heart rates can rise during a big game, so do the best you can to keep your cool. Dr. Kopecky, in a Wall Street Journal article, suggested not smoking during games since it prompts the blood to clot and drinking too much can cause the heart to quicken. An LA Times article suggested that getting plenty of rest the night before the game was a good idea, and remembering to take medications as prescribed, to not exert yourself to much physically (who works out during games?), and to not get angry with the refs (fat chance).

Let's keep the diehard sports fan a metaphorical description, shall we?

P.S. I can predict some of the e-mails that will suggest that this study was funded by conspiring wives who want to limit football watching, and in advance I want to let you know that it does not appear any such conspiracy took place.