World Cup 2006 Bad For People’s Health?

Now this is perhaps the most…amusing thing that I have heard, but it rings true. I can vividly remember playing in the old National Soccer League with Sydney United when the hooligans would be so riled up that they would take on the local police for no other reason than their distaste for our guys having an unfair decision called against them. With national hearts and minds focused on their favorite World Cup heroes battling for Jules Rimed glory, I can understand what the article I read is trying to point to, you can read it here.

Is Soccer bad for our health? Quite the contrary. I believe that poor health in high stress situation like the World Cup 2006 can lead to anxiety and stress that can precipitate into a heart attack. The article points out the following interesting find:

“In the 1998 World Cup, the number of heart attacks in Britain rose by 25 per cent when England lost to Argentina in a penalty shootout, according to a study in the British Medical Journal (BMJ).”

All the more reason to keep to a healthy diet before, during and after the World Cup 2006.