Air Pollution May Increase Your Risk of Heart Attack

Smog isn't just bad for the planet.

A new study shows that exposure to air pollution significantly increases the risk of cardiac arrest. Sex, coffee, alcohol and high-emotion situations are more factors that can cause a bad heart, research showed.

In fact, 7.4 percent of heart attacks were found to be linked to highway pollution.

Drinking coffee was blamed for 5 percent of attacks, having sex was linked to 2.2 percent of attacks, eating a heavy meal for 2.7 percent, engaging in physical activity accounted for 6.2 percent of attacks, drinking alcohol for 5 percent and smoking pot for almost 1 percent of cardiac arrest situations.

Negative emotions were associated with almost 4 percent of heart attacks, anger with more than 3 percent and positive emotions with 2.4 percent, the authors said.

"The reality is that we think many different things potentially feed into the pathway that can lead to having a heart attack," Dr. Bruce Rutkin, a cardiologist at North Shore University Hospital, told AOL Health. "Very rarely is there just one factor."

The study does in no way indicate that one should give up coffee, alcohol or angry emotions altogether. The scientists said taken separately each indicator poses only a small risk. But when considered together and across different populations they can be cumulatively significant.

"Don't smoke. Lead a good lifestyle," Rutkin said. "A cup of coffee a day is fine, five cups is not. A drink a day is a good thing, five drinks is not. And don't run behind a bus."

Visit AOL Health to read more about cardiac arrest factors.