CHICAGO (Reuters) - Exercise will not cut the risk of heart disease in those who are overweight unless they also slim down, according to a study of thousands of U.S. women published on Monday.
"Even high quantities of physical activity are unlikely to fully reverse the risk of coronary heart disease in overweight and obese women without concurrent weight loss," Dr. Amy Weinstein and colleagues at Boston's Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center reported.
"Regardless of body weight, (the findings) highlight the importance of counseling all women to participate in increasing amounts of regular physical activity and maintaining a healthy weight to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease," they concluded.
The risk was next highest for active women who were either overweight or obese, and highest for similar women who were inactive.
Fat cells produce chemicals that can speed up hardening of the arteries and increase inflammation, the researchers said,
