GE Healthcare: A Recent Study Shows That Fitness Level and C-Reactive Protein Are Inversely Related in Obese Women: Important Implications for Reducing the Risk of Heart Disease.

WASHINGTON -- -- AS PART OF THE STUDY, GE HEALTHCARE PARTNERS WITH CARDIOLOGIST TO OFFER FREE MOTHER'S DAY CARDS WITH HEART DISEASE PREVENTION TIPS --

A recent study that included obese women revealed that increased fitness levels lowers the levels of C-reactive protein - a protein marker of inflammation, in obese women.

More than 200 obese women participated in the academic research study over a three-month period at the Rippe Lifestyle Institute at Florida Hospital Celebration Health in Orlando, Fla.

Dr. James Rippe, a cardiologist and author of Heart Disease for Dummies, said the findings showed that the higher the physical activity, the lower the level of inflammation measured by high sensitivity CRP in obese women. In recent years, an increasing amount of attention has been focused on CRP, a protein marker of inflammation associated with both coronary artery disease and hypertension.

"The message here is that the study reflects that even in obese women, fitness matters because the higher the fitness level the lower the level of high sensitivity CRP, " said Rippe. "We used to think that risk factors such as hypertension, high cholesterol, cigarette smoking and an inactive lifestyle were the only major risk factors for heart disease. But over the last year, more studies have shown a high correlation between C-reactive protein and heart disease suggesting that inflammation may also play an important role."

The study will be presented today (May 1) by the Rippe Lifestyle Institute at the American Heart Association's 45th Annual Conference on Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention in Washington D.C. The scientific program ends on Monday (May 2).

The abstract is one of a series of scientific studies being presented during the conference where physicians, epidemiologists, nutrition scientists and other professionals gather to discuss population trends in cardiovascular diseases and their risk factors, and learn about outcomes and research in cardiovascular disease.

According to the American Heart Association, 37 million American women have cardiovascular disease. One in three American women will die from heart disease. In the U.S. alone, cardiovascular disease claims the lives of nearly 500,000 women each year.

Rippe said Mother's Day - recognized on Sunday, May 8 in the U.S. - is an opportunity to empower and motivate women about living heart-healthy lives.

"Many women around the world need a wake-up call about the seriousness of heart disease. Instead of giving mother chocolates or taking her out for an all-you-can-eat brunch, people might want to use Mother's Day as an opportunity to give their mother the best gift of all - a heart-to-heart talk about heart disease prevention and early detection," said Dr. Rippe.

As one of the largest diagnostics and life sciences companies in the world, GE Healthcare (NYSE:GE) is teaming with Rippe for the second year to offer free Mother's Day cards with healthy expert tips around prevention and early detection. The cards and more information about heart disease can be found on the GE Healthcare website gehealthcare.com/heart.

In recent years, GE Healthcare has increased the company's efforts around women's healthcare such as launching initiatives like GE's Healthcare's Women's Heart Health Campaign, a consumer outreach and education effort developed to motivate people to be more proactive in their own health care and to help women understand the importance of heart disease prevention and early detection.

GE also sponsors the Women's Health and Wellness Tour, two 53-foot vehicles that contains innovative technologies to offer free medical screenings and educational information. The tour travels throughout the country to build awareness around heart disease, breast cancer and osteoporosis.

Additionally, GE Healthcare has products and technology designed for the unique needs of women's health and wellness.

Rippe said physicians have better diagnostic tools than ever before to help detect, diagnose and monitor disease.

"If heart and cardiovascular disease can be identified and treated at an earlier stage, women can live healthier, longer and more productive lives," Rippe added. The good news, findings from the current study, is that increased fitness can lower inflammation in women regardless of weight and thereby lower the risk of heart disease.

In June, Rippe Lifestyle Institute will present two studies at the American College of Sports Medicine's annual meeting, defining risk factors for coronary heart disease linked to positive calcium scores measured using high speed Computed Tomography (CT) technology.

About GE Healthcare

GE Healthcare provides transformational medical technologies that will shape a new age of patient care. GE Healthcare's expertise in medical imaging and information technologies, medical diagnostics, patient monitoring systems, disease research, drug discovery and biopharmaceuticals is dedicated to detecting disease earlier and tailoring treatment for individual patients. GE Healthcare offers a broad range of services to improve productivity in healthcare and enable healthcare providers to better diagnose, treat and manage patients with conditions such as cancer, Alzheimer's and cardiovascular diseases. GE Healthcare is a $14 billion unit of General Electric Company (NYSE:GE). Worldwide, GE Healthcare employs more than 42,500 people committed to serving healthcare professionals and their patients in more than 100 countries.