Lack of Exercise Explains Depression-Heart Link

For years cardiologists and mental health experts have known that depression raises risk for heart attack by 50 percent or more.

But what hasn’t been clear is why depressed people have more heart problems. Does depression cause some biological change that increases risk? Does the inflammatory process that leads to heart disease also trigger depression?

The answer may be far simpler. A new study suggests that people who are depressed are simply less likely to exercise, a finding that explains their dramatically higher risk for heart problems.