Strong chest and back muscles linked to lower heart attack risk, study finds
5 reported
An analysis using artificial intelligence suggests that people with strong chest and back muscles are less likely to have a heart attack or die prematurely. Researchers led by the University of Edinburgh examined hospital scans of 1,722 patients, mostly in their 50s, who had chest pain. The study found that those with greater muscle density in their chests and backs were less likely to have a heart attack or die in the decade after the scan. Researchers suspect that people with this type of “good-quality skeletal” muscle exercise more and have greater torso strength. The findings were published in the journal Radiology. The senior author, Prof Michelle Williams, said she found the results so compelling that she has started going to the gym twice a week and aims to walk for an hour daily. The study was part-funded by the British Heart Foundation.
What’s reported
Researchers used AI to examine hospital scans of 1,722 patients, mostly in their 50s, who had chest pain.
Those with greater muscle density in their chests and backs were less likely to have a heart attack or die in the decade after the scan.
For every 10-point increase in scan brightness (indicating better quality muscle with less fat), a person was 31% less likely to have a heart attack and 39% less likely to die in the 10 years after the scan.
The size of people’s muscles was not linked to their risk of a heart attack or early death.
The findings were published in the journal Radiology.
Key figures
Prof Michelle Williams, senior author of the study, University of Edinburgh
Prof Bryan Williams, chief scientific and medical officer at the British Heart Foundation
Sources: The Guardian
