TORONTO – While sudden death as karmic “punishment” for cheating may seem extreme, a recent scientific statement suggests most men who die during sex are having extramarital affairs.
The American Heart Association studied an autopsy report and found only 34 of 5,559 cases of sudden death occurred during sex. That’s 0.6 per cent, which means it’s quite rare.
However, between 82 and 93 per cent of the sex-linked casualties were men, and 75 per cent were engaging in extramarital sexual activity. In most of these situations, the men were with a younger partner after excessive food and alcohol consumption and/or in an unfamiliar setting.
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“Studies conducted primarily in young married men showed that sexual activity with a person’s usual partner is comparable to mild to moderate physical activity in the range of 3 to 4 metabolic equivalents,” says the AHA statement on Sexual Activity and Cardiovascular Disease.
This “metabolic equivalent” would be similar to a brisk walk or climbing two flights of stairs.
However, the paper notes this generalization may not apply to all, and that sexual activity may be more accurately described as in the range of 3 to 5 metabolic equivalents.
The AHA statement adds that some patients may have difficulty reaching orgasm for medical or emotional reasons, though specific data are lacking.
“In attempting to achieve a climax, it is possible that such individuals may exert themselves to a greater degree of exhaustion with relatively greater demand on their cardiovascular system,” says the statement.
So if you don’t want to take chances with your heart, curl up with your similarly-aged partner at your usual spot and skip the bottle of wine. Now that’s safe sex.
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