An amateur footballer died of a heart attack after drinking a post-match glass of ice-cold water that prompted a rare cardiovascular reflex.

Ludwin Florez Nole, 27, had just finished playing with his local side Los Rangers in Sullana Province, north west Peru, when he started to feel unwell and went home, according to local media,

His wife said he then drank a cool glass of water. 'Shortly afterwards he started to have chest pains so I took him to a nearby clinic, but he died on the way,' she said.

Ludwin Florez Nole, 27, had just finished playing with his local side Los Rangers in Sullana Province, north west Peru, when he started to feel unwell and went home

'The doctor told me that he suffered a heart attack because he drank too much cold water while his body was still hot.'

Medics believed that the cold water caused a change in the sportsman's heart rate, leading to a cardiovascular reflex.

The condition is considered rare when brought on by drinking a cool liquid, although microbial contaminants in water are known to bring on stomach cramps and other similar conditions.

Arsenic in water, for example, can lead to headaches, stomach pains, convulsions, diarrhoea, vomiting and even death.