SUPPORTING Sunderland this season may well have put you at greater risk of a heart attack or stroke, according to researchers.

Health chiefs reveal today the results of a survey of fans of four Premiership clubs over the past five seasons.

In it they show that deaths in male supporters of Leeds, Sunderland, Middlesbrough and Newcastle shot up by 30 per cent on the day of home defeats.

The results were the most marked in Sunderland, whose home record this season has been dismal, winning only two games.

It is believed the emotional and psychological stress prompted by a negative result can trigger the potentially deadly conditions.

The findings are published in A Matter Of Life and Death: Population Mortality and Football Results.

Author Dr Bill Kirkup, regional director of public health for the North-East, said: "We have found a consistent link between football results and deaths from heart attacks and strokes.

"Our results are new, but not surprising in our view.

"People are at risk through smoking, poor diet and lack of exercise - but a heart attack or stroke can be precipitated by a 'trigger factor' such as anger, frustration or low mood."

Dr Kirkup and his co-author David Merrick believe the true figure might be even higher than 30 per cent.

Dr Kirkup said: "We believe 30 per cent could be an underestimate; because of the way that the statistics are reported, we couldn't tell which deaths on a match day actually happened before the kick-off.

"If we could have looked at deaths in the 24 hours after the final whistle among supporters, we think the effect may well have been larger."

Dr Kirkup, who is a supporter of Newcastle United and a season ticket holder, said: "We are not suggesting that men should not go to football matches.

"As an avid football fan myself, I am only too aware of what an emotional roller-coaster watching your team play can be.

"One of the things that prompted me to look at the effects on health was my experience of following Newcastle.

"In the past two years, I have personally given first aid to three supporters who have collapsed after games.

"The late Bill Shankly once said: 'Some people believe football is a matter of life and death. I'm very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that'.

"Our results remind us that, to many, football really is a matter of life and death, and is certainly not 'only a game'."

In the past, there have been previous reports that looked at single international matches, but this is the first time that an effect has been shown over a long period of time.

Dr Kirkup said fans do not need to worry about the effects of a defeat if they take simple precautions in life.

He said: "For men with one or more risk factors, such as being overweight, inactive, a smoker, having high blood pressure or a poor diet, it might be sensible to take half an aspirin, so long as they haven't been told not to for medical reasons.

"However, it's much better to change the things that put people at risk in the first place - smoking, poor diet and lack of exercise."

He said he did not know why Home Defeat Syndrome does not seem to affect women.

A spokesman for Sunderland AFC said: "The passion and enthusiasm of North-East football fans is renowned throughout the country and the findings of this survey appear to reinforce that.

"Supporters can experience immense highs and lows during the 90 minutes of a game and this can of course be very stressful.

"As a club, we actively support healthy lifestyle initiatives through our extensive Community Programme and encourage all of our supporters to take care of their health."