People with skinny legs lacking muscle might be more at risk of further heart failure after a cardiac arrest, according to a new scientific study. The research found that people with more chunky legs stood a better chance of avoiding a further problem.
While some individuals may feel self-conscious about having thick thighs, it is actually considered a positive sign for their health. According to researchers, the most common cause of heart failure is a heart attack, medically known as myocardial infarction. Approximately six to nine percent of heart attack patients subsequently develop heart failure.
Previous studies have demonstrated that individuals with strong quadriceps muscles have a lower risk of death in cases of coronary artery disease. Building on this knowledge, the new study aimed to explore whether leg strength is associated with a reduced risk of heart failure after an acute myocardial infarction, the Mirror reported.
The study involved 932 patients admitted to hospitals between 2007 and 2020 due to acute myocardial infarction. These patients did not have heart failure before their admission and did not experience any heart failure complications during their hospital stay. The participants, with an average age of 66, underwent various assessments.
To gauge leg strength, the researchers measured the maximal quadriceps strength. Patients were asked to sit on a chair and contract their quadriceps muscles as hard as possible for five seconds. A handheld dynamometer attached to the ankle recorded the maximum strength value in kilos. Measurements were taken for both legs, and the average of the values was used for analysis.
To determine the relative strength, the quadriceps strength in kilos was divided by the patient’s body weight in kilos and multiplied by 100, resulting in a percentage body weight value. Patients were then classified as having either “high” or “low” strength based on whether their value was above or below the median for their respective sex.
For women, the median value was 33 per cent of body weight, while for men, it was 52 per cent of body weight. Among the participants, 451 had low quadriceps strength, while 481 had high strength.
During an average follow-up period of four-and-a-half years, 67 patients (7.2 per cent) developed heart failure. The incidence of heart failure was found to be 10.2 per 1,000 person-years in patients with high quadriceps strength, whereas it was 22.9 per 1,000 person-years in those with low strength.
The researchers from Japan analyzed the association between quadriceps strength and the risk of developing heart failure. They found that compared to individuals with low quadriceps strength, those with high strength had a 41 per cent lower risk of developing heart failure. Additionally, for every five per cent increase in quadriceps strength relative to body weight, there was an 11 per cent lower likelihood of heart failure.
Kensuke Ueno, a physical therapist at Kitasato University Graduate School of Medical Sciences and a study author, stated, “Quadriceps strength is easy and simple to measure accurately in clinical practice. Our study indicates that quadriceps strength could help identify patients at higher risk of developing heart failure after myocardial infarction, who could then receive more intense surveillance.”
Ueno added, “While further research is needed to validate these findings, they do suggest that patients who have experienced a heart attack should be recommended strength training exercises that target the quadriceps muscles in order to prevent heart failure.”
