This past Tuesday was “Fat Tuesday,” a day for those who will observe Lent to use up all of fats, sugars, and other indulgent ingredients lurking within their pantry. In honor of Fat Tuesday, we present a couple of recent stories on, what else? Heart attacks.
Last week a man sat down for a “Triple Bypass Burger” at the Heart Attack Grill in Las Vegas and…had a heart attack. No fooling. Check out the video below for the local news coverage (“Doctor Jon” is not a real doctor? No kidding. And those nurses…?).
So, yes, there is a warning on the door and the guy probably had some problems or risk factors going in (I presume this wasn’t the first above-average sized burger he tried to tackle), but seriously, was that worth it?
In this day and age, we are tempted by tasty food and food products all the time. One cannot walk into a gas station, movie theater, or often times, his or her own workplace (let alone Las Vegas) without encountering candy, snacks, donuts, and sugary beverages. My weakness is chocolate chip cookies. I find them hard to resist, and when I don’t (resist), I always ask myself, “was that worth it?”
Sometimes I decide that it was worth it and sometimes I feel that it wasn’t. We’ve discussed the value of making occasional exceptions to your diet here before. However, you have to decide for yourself when it is worth it - we will try to provide scientific guidance to help you make those decisions. In any case, stopping and thinking about whether straying from your plan and your goals will be worth it when you’re confronted with temptation is a good first step.
As they say, the wise learn from the mistakes of others…
Next, there was a recent study published in JAMA showing that heart attacks in women tend to be less likely to be diagnosed and treated quickly (see here for media coverage of the study). This is likely because many of the early studies were conducted in men and as a result, most people (including many docs) equate heart attacks with chest pain. In fact, approximately 31% of men and 42% of women who have a heart attack do not experience chest pain and might have other symptoms such as shortness of breath, sweating, nausea or vomiting, lightheadedness, or pain in the back, arms, or jaw.
Hopefully, a proper diet, movement practice, and plenty of high-quality sleep will prevent you from ever having to experience a heart attack, but if you or someone else is having these symptoms, take them seriously and get them to a hospital asap (oh, and don’t eat at The Heart Attack Grill).