Inactivity Is a Universal Risk Factor for Heart Attack

"Universal." That would seem to include a load of people. But is it right?

With certainty, you can decrease your likelihood of developing heart disease without a shred of exercise. (This is not to suggest that physical activity is without benefit. It is as long as you train and not exercise.)

A new analysis of the INTERHEART study, drilling down into exactly how physical activity and its different components contribute to the risk of MI, doesn't turn up any huge surprises but does confirm that inactivity is "a universal cardiovascular risk factor," lead author Dr Claes Held (Uppsala Clinical Research Center, Uppsala, Sweden) tells heartwire [1]. Held and colleagues publish the results online January 11, 2012 in the European Heart Journal...

The results also show an association between ownership of a TV and car and an increased risk of MI, although Held stresses, "We cannot say this is a causal relationship, it's an association, and we need a prospective trial to confirm this." Nevertheless, he acknowledges, "If you own a TV and a car, your risk of being sedentary is increased. It's an interesting finding that goes with the theme."

Giving up the car and TV seems way extreme and not a guarantee against becoming/remaining a fatso. ("We cannot say this is a causal relationship...")