Lack of exercise outweighs obesity among heart disease risk factors, says Australian study

Lack of exercise affects a woman’s risk of developing heart disease more than other known risk factors, including being overweight, new research has shown.1

Australian researchers writing in the British Journal of Sports Medicine said that greater effort was needed to promote exercise among women.

The study calculated the population attributable risk of heart disease for four known risk factors: high body mass index, smoking, high blood pressure, and physical inactivity. The population attributable risk is …