Physical Activity Does not Outweigh BMI's Effect
December 24, 2004
(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Physical inactivity is not enough to counteract the negative health effects of excess weight, while inactivity and excess weight can significantly increase the risk for premature death, according to a new study.
Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston examined the effect of body mass index and physical activity on death risk among 116,564 women between ages 30 and 55. The participants were free of cardiovascular disease and cancer.
Results show at a 24-year follow-up, those with high BMIs (a BMI of 25 or over) had a higher risk of death regardless of their level of physical activity. Although physical activity offered some health benefits to overweight individuals, it did not eliminate this higher death risk.
Researchers say a high BMI combined with low physical activity (less than 3.5 hours per week) could account for 31 percent of all premature deaths -- 59 percent from cardiovascular disease, and 21 percent from cancer among non-smoking women.
Women with BMIs less than 25 who were physically active more than 3.5 hours per week had the lowest risk of premature death.
Authors conclude, "Both increased adiposity [fat] and reduced physical activity are strong and independent predictors of death."
SOURCE: The New England Journal of Medicine, 2004;351:2694-2703
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