Australian football and National Rugby League fans are forecast to consume 900 kg of saturated fat and more than 170 kg of salt during the grand finals over the next two weekends, and the Heart Foundation is urging fans to take it easy to reduce risk of a heart attack.
According to news.com.au, the Foundation says that an estimated 30,000 meat pies and 20,000 sausage rolls, with accompanying tomato sauce and hot chips will be served to footy fans at the MCG in Melbourne and ANZ Stadium in Sydney.
It has calculated the fat content of the 30,000 meat pies at 402kg and found that 20,000 sausage rolls contain half that amount at 221kg, the report said.
A doctor with the foundation said that too much saturated fat could contribute to the build up of fatty material, called plaque, on the inside of blood vessels, clogging arteries, adding that eating too much salt could cause high blood pressure and increase the risk of heart attack.
The foundation is trying to raise awareness of the health problems caused by salt and is pressuring food companies to cut levels in packaged foods, the report added.
Even cheering on your team might be enough to cause a heart attack, the report further said.
Men are three times as likely to be admitted to hospital for a cardiac emergency the day their team plays sport, with heart attacks and deaths increasing in high-stress games or when a person's team loses, according to the report.
