If you own a car and a television, you're at increased risk of a heart attack, says a new study.
"Until now, few studies have looked at the different aspects of physical activity both at work and during leisure time in relation to the risk of heart attacks," said Claes Held, associate professor at Uppsala Clinical Research Center and the cardiology department at Uppsala University Hospital in Sweden.
The researchers, who published the study in European Heart Journal, analyzed data from more than 29,000 people in 52 countries.
Light to moderate physical activity at work lowered the risk of a heart attack, the study showed, as did any level of physical activity during leisure time.
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"What this study adds, among many other things, is a global perspective," Held said.
The findings held true "independent of other traditional risk factors in men and women of all ages, in most regions of the world and in countries with low, middle or high income levels," Held said.
Specifically, the findings showed that people who did light physical activity at work had a 22 percent and lower risk of heart attack; those who did moderate physical activity had a 11 percent lower risk.
The results were different for leisure time activity, however: working out harder lessened the risk of heart attack the most (from 13 percent lower for people who did mild physical activity to 24 percent lower for those who engaged in moderate or strenuous activity).
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"Interestingly, heavy physical labor at work did not protect against heart attacks," Held said.
Those who owned both a car and a television had a 27 percent higher risk of heart attack than those who owned neither.
The news doesn't mean you have to throw your flat screen out the window. But as lower-income societies gain more leisure time devices such as televisions and more energy-saving devices like cars, Held suggests promoting more physical activity.
Photo: iStockPhoto
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