Many people use exercise not just to get physically fit but also to vent their frustrations and anger. But researchers have warned that heavy physical exertion, such as spending some one-on-one time with a punching bag, while angry can apparently cause a heart attack.

In this new study, researchers from the McMaster University and the Population Health Research Institute in Canada as well as the HRB Clinical Research Facility in Ireland studied data from 12,461 patients from 52 countries. They found that cases of heart attack tend to occur within an hour after a person has been angry or upset.

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While people who undertake heavy physical exertion are susceptible to heart attacks, the risk us tripled when the person is also angry.

Researchers found that this increased risk of heart attacks is the same regardless of age, smoking habits, weight, and high blood pressure.

According to the lead author of the study, Andrew Smyth of the Population Health Research Institute at McMaster University in Canada, extreme emotions and extreme physical exertion can have similar effects on the body.

Smyth explains that both anger and exercise can raise blood pressure and heart rate and even affect blood flow through the blood vessels, ultimately reducing blood supply to the heart. This risk is particularly great for individuals with blood vessels that are lined with plaque.

The researchers warn that although exercise has many health benefits including heart disease prevention, it is not advisable to physically exert yourself while angry.

According to psychologist Barry Jacobs of the American Heart Association, excessive anger while exercising can trigger heart attacks. He noted that people who are already susceptible to heart attacks should avoid extreme emotional events.

This new study has been published in the American Heart Association journal Circulation.