Strong Muscles Linked to Reduced Heart Attack Risk
Recent analysis using artificial intelligence indicates that individuals with robust chest and back muscles have a lower likelihood of experiencing heart attacks or premature death.
A team from the University of Edinburgh examined hospital scans of 1,722 patients, primarily in their 50s, who were experiencing chest pain. The results showed that those with higher muscle density in their upper bodies were less prone to heart attacks or early mortality over the following decade.
The researchers believe that those with “good-quality skeletal” muscle tend to be more active and exhibit stronger torso strength. Findings published in the journal Radiology hint that this muscle density could play a role in reducing heart attack risks and extending lifespan.
Prof. Michelle Williams, the study’s senior author, found the results intriguing enough to begin exercising at the gym twice a week and aims to walk for an hour daily. “It’s really interesting that skeletal muscle might correlate with heart attack risks,” she noted. The muscles identified in the scans included back muscles, pectoral muscles—commonly known as ‘pecs’—and intercostal muscles located between the ribs.
She added, “Now, I’ve got an interest in workouts like cycling, planks, and pilates. I enjoy them, and they might improve these muscles. However, we need much more research to fully understand how exercise influences muscle density and its connection to heart health.”
The research involved using AI to analyze the muscles, organs, bones, and fat in individuals’ upper bodies, focusing on skeletal muscle attenuation—the level of brightness or darkness in muscle scans.
Denser muscles appear lighter in these images since more X-ray beams are reflected off them. A brighter scan indicates higher-quality, denser muscle typically containing less fat.
For every 10-point increase in scan brightness, marking better muscle quality, individuals were found to be 31% less likely to suffer a heart attack and 39% less likely to die within the next decade.
In the future, standard heart scans could potentially identify individuals with less dense muscle who may face higher heart attack risks. Such individuals might then receive guidance to increase their physical activity, closer monitoring, or priority for medications that mitigate heart attack risks.
Prof. Bryan Williams, chief scientific and medical officer at the British Heart Foundation, which partially funded the research, commented, “It’s probable that participants with denser muscles were more physically active, which likely leads to better heart health. This adds to the evidence emphasizing the benefits of exercise.”
