Healthy Weight and Exercise Lowers Risk of Heart Failure

---

Body mass index and vigorous physical activity and the risk of heart failure among men, by Satish Kenchaiah and colleagues. Circulation 119:44–52, 2009

What is the problem and what is known about it so far?

Overweight and obesity, sedentary lifestyles, and heart failure are major health concerns. In adults, being obese (having a body mass index or BMI of 30 or more) raises the chances of having heart failure. For this reason, the Heart Failure Society of America recommends a BMI of less than 30. However, less is known about whether being overweight (having a BMI of 25 to 29.9), but not obese, affects the chances of having heart failure. Although exercise is important for weight control and weight loss and has many health benefits, its effect on the risk of heart failure is not certain.

Why did the researchers do this particular study?

The researchers wanted to find out if being overweight but not obese and getting vigorous exercise has an effect on a person's chances of having heart failure.

Who was studied?

The study included over 21,000 men who participated in the large, long-term Physicians' Health Study and who did not have heart disease when that study began.

How was the study done?

The researchers gathered information from participants about their weight and height (to calculate their BMI), about how physically active they were, and about whether they developed heart failure between 1982 and 2007.

What did the researchers find?

After taking other factors into account, every increase of 1 in BMI (say, from 25 to 26) raised the chance of having heart failure by 11%. Compared to lean participants, those who were overweight were 49% more likely and those who were obese were 180% more likely to suffer from heart failure. Getting vigorous exercise lowered the risk of heart failure by about 18%. Lean active men had the lowest and obese inactive men had the highest chances of having heart failure.

What were the limitations of the study?

Heart failure rates among participants were lower than in the general public, perhaps because participants were doctors and may have had overall healthier lifestyles. Also, participants' self-reports about weight and exercise may not have been completely accurate. Furthermore, information about how often participants exercised was only gathered once and may have changed over time. In addition, because of the small number of participants who were underweight, researchers could not learn about the effects of being underweight on the risk of heart failure. Also, researchers could not measure heart functioning at the time participants suffered heart failure and so could not tell whether weight and exercise had the same effects in people with normal heart function and those with poor heart function. Participants were all men, so the results may not apply to women.

What are the implications of the study?

Among men, being overweight, even when not obese, makes heart failure more likely, while getting regular exercise makes heart failure less likely. Although more study is needed, losing excess weight and exercising regularly may help men avoid heart failure.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Taking care of your heart

Diabetes and weight loss

"I Hate to Exercise" Book for People With Diabetes