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Quality of Muscles, Not Size, Lowers Heart Attack Risk
Newser • • health
Key Points:
- A study of 1,722 patients' chest scans found that denser chest and back muscles are associated with a significantly lower risk of heart attack and early death over a 10-year period.
- Muscle "brightness" on scans, indicating denser and less fatty muscle tissue, correlated with a 31% reduction in heart attack risk and a 39% reduction in mortality risk.
- The study highlights muscle composition rather than size as the key factor linked to cardiovascular health, suggesting potential for routine heart imaging to identify patients needing closer monitoring.
- Experts emphasize that denser muscle mass likely reflects higher physical activity levels, reinforcing the importance of regular exercise in reducing cardiovascular disease risk.
- Researchers call for further studies to understand how different exercises impact muscle density and heart health, with the study's lead author personally adopting more physical activity based on the findings.
