Men Over 45 Years Old Don’t Shovel Snow!

Men over 45 years old should not shovel snow, that is what I heard on the National News from ABC at the top of the hour! Paul in the front office heard it too and came back to the studio and said "Jerry did you hear that, you should not be shoveling snow." Guess I should have quit shoveling snow 21 years ago! Sure is a good thing ABC News did not say I can't shovel corn and beans, just snow?

All kidding aside I found a recent study that "suggests people who are at high risk for heart disease or who already have it, there's a bit of new advice: don't shovel snow." I found an article written by Robert H. Shmerling, MD, Senior Faculty Editor, Harvard Health Publishing about shoveling snow and heart attacks. The study correlated admissions to the hospital and deaths due to heart attacks the day after it snowed during the years 1981 through 2014. "This included more than 128,000 hospital admissions and more than 68,000 deaths due to heart attack.

The study found the deeper the snow, more men were admitted for heart attacks and the more men that died of heart attacks. Plus, the longer the duration of the snow event the more heart attacks and deaths. I found this a bit surprising because I have observed many women shoveling snow, but the study did not find a link between snowfall and heart attacks in women.

So, if you are in the risk group maybe you should buy a snow blower? Better yet hire a snow removal service? Thinking again, the best option, move to Florida or Texas?