Roller Coasters Are Risky for the Heart

If you know you're suffering from cardiac problems, you should better refrain from the rush sensations roller coasters provide, a new study presented at a specialized event in the US says.

According to the researchers, the thrill of a roller coaster ride with its climbs, loops and dives can speed up the heart, sparking off an irregular heartbeat that could put individuals with heart disease at risk of having a cardiovascular event.

"Individuals who have suffered a heart attack, have heart disease or irregular heart rhythms should not ride a roller coaster," said Jurgen Kuschyk, M.D., a cardiologist at University Hospital in Mannheim, Germany.

A German study of 37 men and 18 women volunteers, average age 28 found that some people who rode a roller coaster had an increased heart rate that could cause arrhythmias, an irregular heart beat, in some individuals.

"The mental and physical stress from riding on the roller coaster was comparable to a fast game of squash or tennis," Kuschyk said. "For young healthy people there is no risk for heart attack and arrhythmias from riding a roller coaster."

But people with high blood pressure, a previous heart attack, an implanted pacemaker or defibrillator, and others with proven heart disease, should not ride a roller coaster, researchers said.