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Study suggests exercising while angry could be linked to heart attacks

A new study suggests a link between working out when you're angry and having a heart attack.

The study by the American Heart Association centered on 1,200 first-time heart attack patients. Researchers found about half of them were angry and working out just before having their heart attack.

Still, doctors in Pittsburgh told Channel 11 there is no evidence that working out angry can cause a heart attack.

"If you're angry, if you're upset, or if you're exercising, all of these things increased your heart rate, they increase your blood pressure, they put more stress on the heart," said cardiologist Dr. Andrew Pogozelski with Allegheny Health Network.

Pogozelski added that the study admitted many of the heart attack victims were primed for heart failure, whether they worked out or not.

"These were people who, at some point, were likely to have had a heart attack. They had something in their blood vessels that was waiting to happen," said Pogozelski.

Former Pittsburgh police Officer Richard Carter isn't surprised by the study. He suffered a heart attack while working on the Northside several years ago.

"If your mind isn't on what you're doing, you can get hurt," he said.