Based on a study of nearly 100 heart failure patients who were at a minimum overweight, no surprise, a home exercise program did the trick to treat their obesity and improve their health.

Scientists assigned patients (average age 53) either to a control group or a low-level, home-based exercise program. First, patients in the exercise group were instructed to walk at least four times a week at a level that raised their heart rate to about 60 percent of the maximum for 45 minutes each time. Then, patients added light resistance training to their exercise program.

The benefits, based on the effort, are about what you'd expect. The control group of non-exercisers lost not much more than a half-pound over six months. Conversely, the exercise group lost 14 pounds (at least 5 percent of their body weight) over the same time period and were admitted far less frequently into the hospital too.

This study illustrates one crucial facet about exercise: Treating it like a drug that must be precisely prescribed for you to achieve the maximum benefit.

That said, eating the right foods based on your body's unique nutritional type is just as important to your overall health.

American Journal of Cardiology, Vol. 97, No. 6, March 15, 2006: 886-890

Yahoo News April 21, 2006