'Risk-factor' white cells linked to fatness

Fatness boosts the level of inflammatory activity in the body, according to a report published today.

The study compared the levels of white blood cells with the physical fitness of 452 men.

A high total white blood cell count is a marker of inflammatory activity, and is recognised as a strong risk factor for coronary heart disease.

The report, published in the 'British Journal of Sports Medicine', found that higher white blood cell counts were found in men with a greater proportion of body fat.

After participants’ level of cardiorespiratory fitness was assessed using a treadmill, it was also discovered that white blood cells were lowest in the fittest men.

The research, based on a sample of 452 healthy men, was produced by Professor Tim Church, Pennington Biomedical Research Centre, Barton Rouge, Louisiana, USA.