Aspirin and beta-blockers linked to higher heart attack risk in hot weather, study suggests

glandsverk@businessinsider.com (Gabby Landsverk) – Tuesday

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• Some medications may increase the risk of heart attack in hot weather, new research suggests.
• Aspirin and beta blockers, used to protect heart health, may make it harder to handle the heat. 
• Even younger people may be more susceptible to heat-related heart attacks without proper precautions. 

Certain medications to protect your heart may backfire in very hot weather, increasing the risk of heart attack, suggests a study published August 1 in Nature Cardiovascular Research. 

Researchers from Yale University and the German Research Center for Environmental Health looked at data from 2,494 heart attack cases in Germany between 2001 to 2014, during warm weather months from May to September. They compared cases to use of medications that typically protect heart health, including anti-platelets like aspirin that reduce heart attack risk, and beta blockers that treat high blood pressure.