Obese heart disease patients who are inactive have a 30% higher death risk compared to overweight inactive patients, while active obese patients have a 19% higher risk compared to active overweight patients.

People with heart disease who are obese (BMI 30 or higher) have a 23% higher chance of dying from any cause compared to those who are overweight (BMI 25-30).

People who move more—especially those who do brisk walking, running, or other intense activities—tend to have fewer heart problems, and this benefit is even stronger for people who are already at high risk for heart disease.

Even though super-fit people have more calcium in their heart arteries, they still live longer and have fewer heart attacks — their fitness seems to protect them from the danger of the plaque.

People who exercise a lot—like marathon runners—live longer than those who don’t, even though they don’t have fewer heart attacks. Exercise helps you live longer, but not necessarily by preventing heart attacks alone.

Even if you exercise regularly in your free time, having a very physically demanding job can still make your risk of dying from heart disease more than six times higher than someone with a less active job.