There’s more to the Super Bowl than grown men hitting each other, pop tarts tripping over the national anthem and overproduced ads that disappoint—there’s also the issue of spectator health.
After all, a Super Bowl party wouldn’t be complete without a cooler full of suds, mounds of fatty, salty foods and a relish tray that usually gets ignored.
Unfortunately for many, what also gets ignored are health problems that take a back seat to watching the game.
For anyone prone to stress or who has an underlying condition, being too emotionally wrapped up in the game could trigger a medical emergency.
When fans become preoccupied with their team bringing home the championship, no one ever thinks that they might be stricken with a sudden medical emergency or that it can impact their mortality. The tension and poor judgment that often comes with the Super Bowl can take an unexpected toll on your health.
The logic is simple. Not only does the big game typically come with large servings of unhealthy food bombs and drinking high quantities of alcohol, the excitement and stress that go with it can trigger problems among spectators that are often ignored—sometimes with potentially fatal results.
“Gotta support the team”
It’s unfortunate, but overzealous fans can whip themselves into such a frenzy during the game that it often wins them an unplanned visit to the emergency room.
Dr. Jocko Zifferblatt, emergency room physician at St. Mary’s and St. Vincent hospitals in Green Bay, Wis. saw the impact this can have on fans as the Packers made their way to the Super Bowl in 2010.
“I’ve had people walk to the stadium knowing that they may die getting there. I’ve had people say if that’s the way they’re going to go, they’re going to go that way and I’ve had people killed that way,” Zifferblatt says. “They love the sport and they love the Packers and they figure if that’s the way they’re going to go they’ve had their time.”
During the playoffs and the big game itself, Zifferblatt says, the ER was usually quiet but became swamped with activity immediately afterwards.
“I’ve seen people where they’ve had chest pain but they’ve taken a couple of nitroglycerins and made their way through the game and then came in right afterwards,” Zifferblatt says. “If you’re lucky you don’t have a heart attack and if you’re unlucky you do, it all depends on the timing and how much blockage you have.”
Even if someone manages to survive the game that way, Dr. Lori Mosca, director of preventive cardiology at New York Presbyterian Hospital and professor of medicine at Columbia University Medical Center, says they could still face more complications and permanent damage to their heart as a result.
“It’s very important to understand that there is a direct relationship between the time it takes you to get emergency care and your risk of dying,” Mosca says. “Every minute matters when it comes to getting attention for any blocked arteries. The therapies that we have to offer are very time sensitive, they’re most effective the sooner they’re given.”
Warning signs and what to eat
Anyone getting ready to watch the game should keep in mind that a combination of emotional stress, alcohol, salty and fatty foods is a recipe for poor health—especially for those with a heart problem.
Mosca says even those without a known heart issue should be alert to the warning signs of a heart blockage and to be aware that it can come in different forms.
“It’s not always the standard crushing chest pain, the Hollywood heart attack that we’re all familiar with that we see on television—the clenched fist over the sternum,” Mosca says. “It’s important to be aware that there’s other unusual symptoms of a heart attack.”
Symptoms can include pain radiating to the arms and/or the back, nausea, shortness of breath and sometimes a headache.
Those diagnosed with heart problems need to be especially careful during an event like the Super Bowl. Many people could be at risk and not even know it.
For those who know they’re at risk:
–Take your medications regularly
–Have fresh nitroglycerin pills and non-coated aspirin on hand
–Get plenty of rest the day before
–Don’t overdo it with physical activity the day of the game
–Avoid inflammatory foods and triggers such as beef, greasy foods and alcohol. Choose foods with high Omega 3 fatty acids instead, such as salmon and walnuts.
–Try to avoid getting too excited. It’s possible to lower your blood pressure by thinking calm thoughts
For those at risk and people generally:
–Avoid smoking prior or during the game
–Eat healthy foods, avoid saturated fats.
–Stay hydrated and drink water before the game
–Limit alcohol consumption. Women no more than a glass per day and men two drinks
–Don’t drink alcohol without food.
Source: Dr. Lori Mosca, Director, Preventive Cardiology, New York Presbyterian Hospital
She says it’s a mistake for people to assume these problems will just go away on their own.
“Most people that have heart symptoms know that there’s something wrong. All I’m going to say is don’t ignore it,” Mosca says. “Pay attention to your body, if you think you’re experiencing something that’s highly unusual that’s not related to the food that you’re eating then be sure to talk to your doctor and if symptoms don’t go away and you’re at risk, it’s important to know that any delay in seeking medical care could reduce your chances of survival.”
Mosca says anyone with a known risk should avoid things that can increase inflammation and perhaps trigger a cardiac response. This includes foods with high saturated fat, salt, beef, alcohol and smoking—particularly on the day of the game.
Conversely, anti-inflammatory foods can help reduce the risk of a heart attack. Mosca suggests having salmon burgers instead of beef, as salmon is high in omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants, which have anti-inflammatory properties. Nuts are a good option, especially walnuts, as long as they’re not salty.
A fatty dip made with mayonnaise could be replaced by hummus made with olive oil, while fruit and vegetables could replace salty chips. Chili could be made less spicy and with beans and vegetables, or by using very lean cuts of meat.
“I think the important message here is with good preparation and planning, some minor modifications you could help reduce your risk of having any problems during heightened anxiety or stress related to the Super Bowl,” Mosca says.
If something goes wrong
Mosca says those who know they’re at risk of a heart attack should have a fresh supply of nitroglycerin pills on hand, along with uncoated aspirin—yet she does not advise people to take an aspirin at the first sign of a problem. Instead, she says people should call 911 and wait for the advice of professionals, as every situation is different.
“If you take an aspirin first you may not call 911 because your symptoms may go away and that’s a bad thing.” Mosca says. “I can’t generally tell everybody what to do, there’s individual situations. If you think you are experiencing symptoms consistent with a heart attack call 911 first and they will instruct you whether or not to take an aspirin, but I want people to have it handy.”
Zifferblatt notes that people can face all kinds of medical issues during a game—issues that might be unrelated to all the food and excitement, but should nevertheless be addressed right away.
Not only can waiting until the game is over make a problem worse, the flood of activity in an emergency room that typically follows the end of the Super Bowl means patients could have to wait an unusually long time before seeing a doctor—especially in a town with a lot of diehard fans.
“If you’re having any true physical complaints, chest pains, chest pressure or you’re having any bleeding or any issues at all where you’re very short of breath you should immediately go in. There’s typically a TV in every ER and now there’s almost a TV in every room,” Zifferblatt says. “They can still do what they need to do and we can take care of them before something critical happens. We only have one life and we do have to take care of it and we have to treasure what we have.”
No joy in Mudville
Whether the Baltimore Ravens or the San Francisco 49ers take home the Vince Lombardi trophy, it could have a noticeable impact on the health of their fans—and not just on game day.
In a study published in January, 2011 in the journal Clinical Cardiology, a team of California researchers examined the health impact in Los Angeles when their two teams made it to the Super Bowl—the Rams in 1980 and the Raiders in 1984. The Rams lost after a close and intense game. The Raiders’ took an early lead and won their game easily.
“Our study suggested that Los Angeles’ 1980 Super Bowl loss increased total and cardiac deaths in both men and women and triggered more deaths in older patients compared with younger patients,” the authors wrote. “Conversely, the 1984 Super Bowl win showed a trend for reduction of death rates, slightly better in older than younger patients and in women more than men.”
The study concluded that the intensity of the 1980 game and the fact that the Rams had been in Los Angeles since 1946, compared to 1984 for the Raiders, likely resulted in the Rams’ game having a greater impact than that of the Raiders. Heart-related deaths rose 15 percent for men and 27 percent for women in the two weeks following the 1980 loss.
A German study, published in 2008 in the New England Journal of Medicine, found that German fans watching their team in the World Cup more than doubled their chance of a cardiovascular event in 2006.
Reactions were tied to the intensity of the game, were more prevalent near the end of a match and had the greatest impact on men, who more than tripled their odds of an event.
Zifferblatt says he’s seen this many times, as the emotions of Green Bay residents tend to rise and fall with their beloved team. He says people will typically have an underlying condition that he either gets ignored when the Packers win or treated if they lose.
“We get a lot of people who are depressed, who come in with a lot of ailments who typically wouldn’t come in otherwise but because the Packers lost the people are more depressed, they have more physical complaints,” Zifferblatt says. “If the Pack wins people are high-spirited and life is good. Even the mood of people who come in for complaints, they’re in a better mood and they treat the staff and they treat the physicians better. It’s amazing how exterior circumstances can make them unhappy about life itself.”
