Dec. 13, 2004 - The holiday season may be hazardous to your health, especially your heart, according to a new study that shows death rates peak during Christmas and New Year's.
Researchers found that more heart-related deaths occurred on Dec. 25 than on any other day of the year among people not already in the hospital. The second largest number of deaths was on the day after Christmas, and the third highest peak occurred on New Year's Day.
They call the phenomenon the "Merry Christmas Coronary" and "Happy New Year Heart Attack." But similar spikes in death rates were also found for non-heart-related deaths during the holiday season.
