Cheating men more likely to die from heart attack during sex

Men who cheat on their partners could be taking their lives in the hands, as a new study shows that they're more likely to die during sex than those that stay faithful.

The Daily Mail reports that US researchers found this out when looking at whether men with heart problems could safely resume their sex lives after treatment.

The study, published by the American Heart Association, found that patients could safely have sex as soon as one week after a mild heart attack, provided they could walk up a few flights of stairs without discomfort.

However, they pointed out that married men having illicit sex faced a higher risk of sudden death during sex, because they were often with younger women in unfamiliar surroundings, which increases stress.

Dying during sex is very rare - after analysing autopsy results of almost 6,000 cases of sudden death, scientists from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston found that just 0.6 per cent of cases happened during sex.

However, the scientists found that up to 93 per cent of people who died in this way were thought to be engaging in extra-marital sex.

Professor Glenn Levine, who led the study, said that these results shouldn't be blown out of context and said, "Sexual activity is the cause of less than one per cent of all heart attacks."

Nevertheless, he said that all doctors should talk to heart patients about sex about how and when to resume their sex lives.

And it sounds as if men should think twice if they're tempted to stray...