Individual and joint associations of obesity and physical activity on the risk of heart failure.

Heart failure (HF) has become a major public health problem in both developed and developing countries of the world. The individual and joint associations of physical activity and obesity on the risk of HF have been extensively studied in recent years. The results from prospective studies consistently indicate that regular physical activity reduces the risk of HF, while both general obesity and abdominal obesity increase the risk of HF. Furthermore, research related to the joint association of obesity and physical activity on HF risk indicates that lean and active individuals had the lowest risk of HF. Therefore, preventing HF by maintaining optimal weight and engaging in regular physical activity may reduce the public health burden of HF worldwide.