A new study by researchers from the Munich University Clinic pointed out that cardiac emergencies and heart attacks doubled in the state when Germany was a finalist in the 2006 World Cup Tournament.

Dr. Ute Wilbert-Lampen, one of the study's main authors, said: "The more important the game, the greater the risk."

He added there is a direct correlation between the game's tension and the amount of stress a sport fan feels, causing strain to the heart.

The researchers studied 4,279 heart cases from the greater Munich area during the 2006 World Cup and compared it to similar periods in 2003 and 2005.

For males, the risk of having heart problems while watching stressful games was 3.26 times higher than normal, while for females, it was 1.82 times higher.

When the championship games did not involve Germany, there was no significant increase in number of Germans complaining of heart problems, the study observed.

The results of the Munich study were published Thursday in the New England Journal of Medicine.