Having a fling or one-night stand is already a risky business. But now there is another reason for adulterers to worry. They are probably more at risk of having a heart attack.The short-term risk of having a heart attack increases almost three-fold among those who rarely make love.Those who have sex more often reduce the risk of it causing a heart attack – which means happily married couples could have the advantage.

A review of 14 studies of heart attacks found the heart is under strain during any form of ‘episodic’ physical activity – something an individual only does rarely.Overall, there is a 3.5 times higher risk of such activity triggering a heart attack.The risk after ‘episodic’ sexual activity – the kind associated with affairs and one-night stands – is 2.7 times higher. But the more active an individual is, either sexually or physically, the lower the risk falls, said the review in the Journal of the American Medical Association。

恣意行乐或一夜情本已是一项危险的活动。如今，其危险的原因又添一项。他们可能更容易引发心脏病。而对于甚少有性生活的人患心脏病的概率将翻3番。一研究14起心脏病报告指出，在间歇性生理活动期间，心脏处于紧张状态—这种情况较少出现。总的说来，这类活动引发心脏病的概率可翻3.5倍。间歇性性生活—通常是外遇和一夜情—的危险将增加2.7倍。但是美国医药协会周刊上发表的一篇评论指出，一个人在性生活或体育活动中越积极主动，其危险性就降得越低。

The researchers, from the Tufts Medical Centre and Harvard School of Public Health, stress that the number of heart attacks actually caused by sex will be low.

Like any physical activity, sex can increase the heart rate and blood pressure, which means the heart has to work harder. As a result, sex carries the same risk of triggering heart trouble as equally energetic forms of physical activity。

Tufts医药中心和哈佛公共健康学院的研究人员强调，由性生活引发心脏病的病例其实很少。

同其他生理活动一样，性爱会加速心率，致使血压升高，这就意味着心脏得更努力得运动。结果，性爱引发心脏病的几率几乎同其他生理活动一样。

Amy Thompson, senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, said: ‘It’s important to distinguish between what causes a heart attack, and what potentially triggers it.'The study shows sex can act as a trigger, but this doesn’t change our viewpoint on the health benefits of physical activity. ‘To help keep your heart healthy you should aim to do 30 minutes of moderate-intensity activity, such as a brisk walk or gardening, at least five times a week. 'Sex places no more stress on the heart than climbing a couple of flights of stairs, so people with or without heart disease need not avoid it.’

英国心脏基金会高级心脏病护士艾米·汤普生说道：“辨别心脏病的病因和诱因是很重要的。研究表明，性爱可以诱发心脏病，但这不能改变我们对生理活动有益身体的看法。为了保持心脏的健康，应当做30分钟适当强度的活动，如快走或修剪花草，每周至少5次。性爱对心脏造成的负荷与爬楼梯没有太大差别，所以不管有没有心脏疾病，大家也不必唯恐避之不及。”