Laziness worse for heart than smoking

ONE in four couch potatoes enjoy the comfort of their sofa so much they don't even want to try to get fit, a major all-Ireland health conference heard yesterday.

Physical inactivity is now the most common risk factor for heart disease, even greater than that posed by smoking or obesity.

Chief executive of the Health Promotion Agency in Northern Ireland Dr Brian Gaffney said growing levels of inactivity were extremely worrying.