Exercise Not Enough to Offset Obesity Health Risks

"BOSTON (Reuters) - Regular exercise is not enough to offset the health problems associated with obesity -- but that shouldn't stop people who are overweight from working out, according to a study to be published in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine (news - web sites).

Two-thirds of Americans are classified as overweight or obese. Being obese triples the risk of heart disease and produces a tenfold increase in the likelihood of developing diabetes.

In recent years, some doctors have suggested that getting regular exercise may eliminate much of the risk of being fat. But the study in this week's Journal, which followed more than 116,000 female nurses for 24 years, challenged that belief.

Frank Hu of the Harvard School of Public Health and his colleagues found that a high level of physical activity did not eliminate the risk of premature death associated with obesity -- and leanness did not offset the increased risk in mortality conferred by inactivity."

That is kind of heavy news, but important to be aware of.