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Holiday partygoers beware: Overeating cannot only be tough on your tummy but may increase your risk of having a heart attack.

A study led by Francisco Lopez-Jimenez, M.D., a cardiology fellow at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, found that heart attacks are four times more likely to occur two hours after eating an usually large meal. Interviews of 1,986 heart-attack patients found that 25 reported eating a large meal within two hours of their attack and 158 had a large meal a day before their attack, according to the study, which was presented at the American Heart Associations Scientific Sessions in New Orleans.

If you're not at high risk for heart disease, you probably don't need to worry about occasionally overindulging during the holidays. But you should be cautious if you're a smoker, overweight or have high cholesterol or high blood pressure, which are all risk factors for heart attacks, Lopez-Jimenez says.

"We don't say never eat a large meal," Lopez-Jimenez said in a healthAtoZ interview. "People need to be aware that the size of the meal matters. Whenever they have the option to moderate that amount of a meal, they need to consider that."

After a meal, your heart has to work faster and stronger to digest food, and the more you eat, the harder it has to work, Lopez-Jimenez says. Your body also diverts blood away from your heart to digest food, which can be problematic for people at risk for heart attacks, says David Peura, M.D., professor of medicine and associate chief of the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the University of Virginia School of Medicine.

"It's not a great idea to overstuff, especially people who have underlying heart disease," Peura says.

Avoiding that bloated feeling

Peura offers the following tips for preventing and coping with indigestion while enjoying parties and family celebrations:

• Eat in moderation and eat slowly. "When you eat too fast, it has a tendency to cause indigestion," Peura says.

• Don't starve yourself before going to a party. Eat normally instead of skipping meals.

• Limit your intake of rich, fatty foods, and eat plenty of fruits, vegetables and grains, which have fiber that aids your body's digestive system. Adults should eat two to four servings of fruits, three to five servings of vegetables and six to 11 servings of bread, cereal, pasta or rice every day, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The American Institute for Cancer Research recommends that vegetables, fruits, whole grains and beans should cover two thirds (or more) of your plate. Meats and other animal-source foods should cover one third (or less).

• Avoid eating big meals two to four hours before bedtime, and stay in an upright position - or better yet, exercise - to aid digestion. Lying down after eating a big meal makes it easier for stomach acid to travel up your esophagus, causing heartburn.

• Drink plenty of water; it helps regulate your bowels.

• If you have a history of heartburn, consult your doctor as to whether you should consider taking over-the-counter antacid medication before heading to a party. Occasional heartburn is no reason to run to the doctor. But if you get heartburn more than twice a week or still have symptoms after two weeks of taking an antacid, you should seek medical attention, according to the American Gastroenterological Association.

• Consider eating foods with probiotic bacteria, such as yogurt and cottage cheese, to help your digestive system and combat diarrhea.

External Resources: America's Top Ten Cities for Gastrointestinal Distress Named: California, New York and Texas Lead the Nation, news release, Dec. 5, 2000

This article was reviewed on 2003-02-03