According to a study published in the American Journal of Cardiology, more than half of the patients again return to fast food joints within a period of six months of suffering a heart attack.

John Spertus was the man behind this study, which was conducted at the University of Missouri at Kansas City. He found 36% of the respondents reporting the frequent consumption of fast food in the month before their heart attack.

"Fast food consumption by patients with AMI (acute myocardial infarction) decreased 6 months after the index hospitalization, but certain populations -- including younger patients, men, those currently working, and less educated patients -- were more likely to consume fast food, at least weekly, during follow-up”, he wrote.

This study did not include inquiring people about the menu items they ordered and some of the experts from the food industry have pointed out that fast food was not always limited just to burgers and fries.

The study shows that nine out of 10 patients received dietary counseling before they left the hospital, but this didn't seem to affect that odds that frequent fast food eaters would improve their diets.

After the health care law was passed last year, fast food restaurants in U. S. will soon provide calorie, fat, sodium and other nutritional information on their menus.