Obesity May Raise Risk of Fibromyalgia

WebMD Health News—April 29, 2010

Overweight and obese women -- especially those who do not exercise at all or exercise for less than an hour a week -- are at higher risk for developing the widespread pain disorder fibromyalgia, according to new research in the May issue of Arthritis Care & Research.

Exercise tended to offset the fibromyalgia risks posed by obesity, the study showed. The more that women exercised, the lower their risk of developing fibromyalgia. The protective effects of exercise on fibromyalgia risk even held among overweight or obese women.

"People who are obese or overweight develop fibromyalgia more frequently, and those people who are overweight or obese and exercise are a little better off than those who don't exercise at all," says Kyriakos A. Kirou, MD, a rheumatologist  at Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City.

"The new study reinforces the value of a healthy lifestyle which includes regular exercise, keeping your weight down, and eating healthy," he says.

Read the full article at webmd.com.