Being just a little pudgy 'can up heart failure risk by 49 percent'

Washington, Dec 23 (ANI): When it comes to keeping a healthy heart, even a little extra weight is dangerous, according to new findings.

The findings are based on a major national study - analyzing two decades of data tracking the health of 21,000 middle-aged American men, all of them doctors.

"Not obese, but just being overweight increases the risk of heart failure by 49 percent," CBS News quoted Dr. Satish Kenchaiah, a researcher for the study, as saying.

The researchers also found that even a little bit of exercise, enough to break a sweat just one to three times a month, can reduce the chance of heart failure by 18 percent.

"If you are lean and active your risk of heart failure will be the lowest and if you're obese and inactive it will be the highest," Kenchaiah said. (ANI)