Today’s high-speed roller coasters may be too much for some hearts to handle.
A new study from Germany reveals heart rates can speed up dramatically as the popular rides twist, loop and plunge. The researchers report an evaluation of 40 roller coaster fatalities from the last decade shows seven deaths could be blamed on heart problems.
Researchers monitored the heart rates of 55 healthy men and women before, during and after riding a roller coaster at the Holiday Park in Hassloch, Germany. Participants wore electrodes to track their heart rates and rhythms.
The ride lasted two minutes. It started with a slow climb for 30 seconds followed by a free-fall for four seconds, then a series of upside down maneuvers and several sharp curves.
Results show the mean heart rate went up from 89 beats per minute before the ride to 155 beats a minute during the ride then down to 109 beats per minute at the end of the ride. The largest increase was during the first 30 seconds of the ascent where the speed of the roller coaster was the lowest. Researchers report this suggests emotional stress played a part in the cardiac response. The women in the study tended to have a higher heart rate than the men throughout the ride.
The authors conclude, “Although the arrhythmias observed in our study of healthy individuals were benign, the magnitude of increase in heart rate raises the possibility of risk for individuals with underlying cardiac disease.”
SOURCE: The Journal of the American Medical Association, 2007;298:739-41
