Health
Snow shoveling safety tips to prevent injury and heart attacks: 'Very strenuous activity'
While snow may be peaceful and pretty, removing it can be risky.
Snow shoveling is one of the most dangerous winter activities, with research showing that it leads to around 11,500 injuries and medical emergencies and 100 deaths each year.
The American Heart Association has identified snow shoveling as an activity that can put extra stress on the heart.
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Beyond cardiac events, other common injuries include broken bones, cuts, bumps and bruises from slipping and falling.
Two doctors shared with Fox News Digital their insights and recommendations about safe snow shoveling.
Snow shoveling is one of the most dangerous winter activities, with research showing that it leads to around 11,500 injuries and medical emergencies and 100 deaths each year. (iStock)
Why is shoveling snow so dangerous?
Dr. Bradley Serwer, a cardiologist and chief medical officer at VitalSolution, an Ohio-based company that offers cardiovascular and anesthesiology services to hospitals nationwide, noted that there is an overall increased risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality during the winter months.
“This is due to multiple factors including seasonal temperature, level of physical activity, air pollution, infections, stress levels and fluctuations in diet,” he told Fox News Digital.
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Physical inactivity is a major factor, Serwer noted, as during the winter months, people tend to be less active and thus are less prepared for the high physical demands of shoveling.
“It is often underestimated what kind of physical workload is required to shovel a substantial amount of snow,” Serwer said. “Shoveling snow can be a very strenuous activity, placing notable strain on the cardiovascular system.”
Frigid temperatures also increase the risk.
It’s safer to push the snow out of your path instead of lifting a heavy snow shovel over your head, said one doctor. (iStock)
“Cold temperatures can cause peripheral blood vessels to constrict, which raises blood pressure and can put extra strain on the heart,” he said.
It’s also easy to become dehydrated while working in cold climates, as people tend to forget to replace fluids as needed, Serwer noted.
“It is also important to note that orthopedic injuries are very common due to falls from slick conditions,” he said.
Tips to reduce risk while shoveling snow
To ensure adequate protection from the cold, Serwer recommends dressing in layers — including coats, hats, scarves and gloves — to avoid overheating, shedding them as you warm up.
Sarah Lee, M.D., an emergency medicine physician at the University of Maryland Medical Center Midtown campus, warned people to watch out for signs of frostbite, particularly in the fingers, toes and nose.
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Some early symptoms of frostbite include severe cold, pain, swelling and discoloration.
“If you experience these symptoms, it is recommended that you go to a warm place immediately,” Lee told Fox News Digital. “Be sure to change into warm and dry clothes once inside.”
It’s also important to stay hydrated and avoid alcohol and tobacco products while working, the doctor said.
When lifting heavy amounts of snow, it’s important to do the heavy lifting with your legs to prevent straining your back. (iStock)
Before getting started, experts recommend warming up with stretches.
“Shoveling snow uses a lot of big muscle groups,” said Lee, who is also an instructor of emergency medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. “Stretch before starting to warm up your muscles and joints.”
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When lifting heavy amounts of snow, it’s important to do the heavy lifting with your legs to prevent straining your back, added Lee.
For those who are not typically very active, it’s important to “take extra caution and know your limits,” Lee said.
“Try to avoid overexerting yourself and take plenty of small breaks if you are shoveling a large area,” she advised.
For those who are not typically very active, it’s important to “take extra caution and know your limits,” a doctor told Fox News Digital. (iStock)
To prevent slips and falls, Lee warned to watch out for black ice, which can be hard to detect.
“The colder the weather, the more likely it will be that there will be frozen ice on the ground,” she noted.
Particularly for elderly people, Lee recommends keeping their cell phone in their pocket so they can call for help in the event of an emergency.
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When removing snow, Serwer said it’s safer to push the snow out of your path instead of lifting a heavy snow shovel over your head.
People with certain conditions or risks should consult with a doctor before shoveling, the doctors agreed.
To prevent slips and falls, a doctor warned to watch out for black ice, which can be hard to detect. (Rachel Gibbons/The Daily News-Sun via AP)
“Generally, those who have any mobility-limiting conditions or those with high fall risks — those who are elderly, deconditioned or have a more sedentary lifestyle — should exercise extra caution,” said Lee.
People who have a history of cardiac problems should check with their doctor before any kind of strenuous exercise, she said.
“Patients who take blood-thinning medications should also take special care to avoid falls,” Lee added.
For those who are at a high risk of cardiac events, the experts recommend hiring someone else to complete the task.
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As colorectal cancer (CRC) is now the leading cause of cancer death in adults under 50, a new report reveals some surprising shifts in the incidence of the disease.
Although rates of CRC have been declining among seniors, those 65 and under are facing a rise in diagnoses, according to a report titled Colorectal Cancer Statistics, 2026, from the American Cancer Society.
Adults 65 and younger comprise nearly half (45%) of all new colorectal cancer cases — a significant increase from 27% in 1995, states the report, which was published in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians.
The disease is rising fastest among adults 20 to 49 years old, at a rate of 3% per year.
Colorectal cancer is now the leading cause of cancer death in adults under 50. (iStock)
Among adults 50 and under, 75% of colorectal cancers are diagnosed at an advanced stage. Half of the diagnoses in that age range are made between the ages of 45 and 49. Although that age group is eligible to receive routine screenings, just 37% do so.
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The report also revealed that rectal cancer is on the rise, now accounting for about one-third (32%) of all CRC cases — an increase from 27% in the mid-2000s.
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“After decades of progress, the risk of dying from colorectal cancer is climbing in younger generations of men and women, confirming a real uptick in disease because of something we’re doing or some other exposure,” said Rebecca Siegel, senior scientific director, surveillance research at the American Cancer Society and lead author of the report, in a press release.
Among adults 50 and under, 75% of colorectal cancers are diagnosed at an advanced stage. Half of the diagnoses in that age range are made between the ages of 45 and 49. (iStock)
“We need to redouble research efforts to understand the cause, but also circumvent deaths through earlier detection by educating clinicians and the general public about symptoms and increasing screening in people 45-54 years.”
It is projected that 158,850 new cases of colorectal cancer will be diagnosed this year, and that the disease will cause 55,230 deaths, per the report.
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More than half of CRC cases can be linked to high-risk behaviors, the researchers said. Those include lack of nutrition, high alcohol consumption, smoking, lack of exercise and obesity.
“These findings further underscore that colorectal cancer is worsening among younger generations and highlight the immediate need for eligible adults to begin screening at the recommended age of 45,” said Dr. William Dahut, chief scientific officer at the American Cancer Society.
When the disease is caught at a local (early) stage, the five-year survival rate is 95%. (iStock)
“The report also shines a light on the crucial importance of continued funding for research to help discover new therapies to treat the disease and advance patient care.”
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When the disease is caught at a local (early) stage, the five-year survival rate is 95%, the report stated.
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A new study suggests that middle-aged men may be more vulnerable to faster biological aging, potentially linked to exposure to “forever chemicals.”
The research, published in the journal Frontiers in Aging, examined how perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, more commonly known as PFAS, could impact aging at the cellular level.
PFAS are synthetic chemicals commonly used in nonstick cookware, food packaging, water-resistant fabrics and other consumer products, the study noted.
Their chemical structure makes them highly resistant to breaking down, allowing them to accumulate in water, soil and the human body.
Chinese researchers analyzed blood samples from 326 adults enrolled in the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 1999 and 2000.
A new study suggests that middle-aged men could face accelerated biological aging at the cellular level due to exposure to PFAS. (iStock)
The researchers measured levels of 11 PFAS compounds in participants’ blood and used DNA-based “epigenetic clocks” — tools that analyze chemical changes to DNA to estimate biological age — to determine how quickly their bodies were aging at the cellular level, the study stated.
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Two compounds, perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) and perfluorooctanesulfonamide (PFOSA), were detected in 95% of participants.
Higher concentrations of those chemicals were associated with faster biological aging in men of certain age groups, but not in women.
“People should not panic.”
The compounds most strongly linked to accelerated aging were not the PFAS chemicals that typically receive the most public attention, the researchers noted.
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“The associations were strongest in adults aged 50 to 64, particularly in men,” Dr. Xiangwei Li, professor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine and the study’s corresponding author, told Fox News Digital.
“While this does not establish that PFAS cause aging, it suggests that these widely present ‘forever chemicals’ may be linked to molecular changes related to long-term health and aging.”
The study found that two of the compounds were detected in 95% of participants, and higher levels were linked to faster biological aging in men ages 50–64. (iStock)
Midlife may represent a more sensitive biological period, when the body becomes more vulnerable to age-related stressors, according to the researchers.
Lifestyle factors, such as smoking, may influence biological aging markers, potentially increasing vulnerability to environmental pollutants.
While Li said “people should not panic,” she does recommend looking for reasonable ways to reduce exposure.
That might mean checking local drinking water reports, using certified water filters designed to reduce PFAS, and limiting the use of stain- or grease-resistant products when alternatives are available.
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Meaningful reductions in PFAS exposure will likely depend on broader regulatory action and environmental cleanup efforts, Li added.
The researchers noted that midlife could be a particularly sensitive stage, when the body is more susceptible to stressors associated with aging. (iStock)
Study limitations
The researchers outlined several important limitations of the research, including that the findings show an association, but do not prove that PFAS directly causes accelerated aging.
“The study is cross-sectional, meaning exposure and aging markers were measured at the same time, so we cannot determine causality,” Li told Fox News Digital.
The study was also relatively small, limited to 326 adults age 50 or older, which means the findings may not apply to younger people or broader populations.
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Researchers measured PFAS levels using data collected between 1999 and 2000, and today’s exposure patterns may differ.
Li added that while PFAS is known to persist in the environment and the body, these results should be validated through larger, more recent studies that follow participants over time.
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