Physical Activity and Cardiovascular Health

<Tab/>Cardiovascular diseases are the number one killer in America. Almost 954,000 Americans died last year from cardiovascular diseases, accounting for over 42 percent of all deaths. The lack of physical activity is now shown to be a risk factor for heart disease. Estimates are that up to 250,000 deaths per year in the U.S., about 12 percent of total deaths, are due to a lack of regular physical activity. The relative risk of coronary heart disease associated with physical inactivity ranges from 1.5 to 2.4, an increase in risk comparable with that observed for high choleste…