A couch-potato lifestyle appears to be a more accurate predictor of a woman's risk of heart disease than excess weight, a new study suggests.

"Our study shows that the lack of physical fitness is a stronger risk factor for developing heart disease than being overweight or obese," said Dr. Timothy Wessel of the University of Florida in Gainesville.

Wessel and his colleagues looked at more than 900 women with an average age of 58 who came to hospital with chest pain. Previous studies of physical activity usually excluded women with known or suspected heart disease.

Moderate intensity exercise is recommended for heart health. (AP photo)

The researchers studied the participants for four years, tracking levels of obesity and physical fitness. The investigators found those who exercised had fewer heart problems, even if they were overweight.

Wessel worries about the popularity of quick weight loss diets like Atkins and South Beach, noting the key to preventing heart problems is a healthy diet and exercise.

"As a physician of cardiovascular medicine, I'm concerned that the general public and health care providers are de-emphasizing physical fitness at a time when this should be something we're focusing on," said Wessel.

Wake-up call

The study in Tuesday's issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association should be a wake-up call for women, said Dr. Steven Archer, head of cardiology at Edmonton's regional health authority.

Women & Heart Disease

According to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, nearly 40,000 die each year from cardiovascular diseases. 60 per cent of women in Canada don't exercise. 14 per cent are considered obese.

"We can fix this in one generation," said Archer of Capital Health. "But we have to have people who are future patients realize that exercise and sensible diet are important and it's a hard message because it's a personal responsibility message."

It doesn't take hours at the gym to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Just 30 minutes of exercise each day will do, even among women who are overweight, the study's authors said.

Doctors should promote physical activity for health or weight control during patient meetings, according to an editorial accompanying the study.

"Just as weight is addressed in some manner at nearly every physician visit, so should attention be given to recommending the accumulation of 30 minutes a day of moderate intensity physical activity at least five days a week," wrote Stephen Blair and Dr. Tim Church of the Cooper Institute in Dallas.

The doctors agreed getting enough exercise can come from simple activities like brisk walking, gardening or riding a bike.