It's official, thick thighs save lives, according to heart experts. A new study has found people with thin legs have a higher risk of suffering heart failure after experiencing a cardiac arrest. While some people may be self-conscious about their thick thighs as the UK enters summer, research has indicated it may be a sign healthy sign.
A heart attack, medically known as myocardial infarction, is the most common cause of heart failure, say researchers, with around six to nine percent of heart attack patients going on to have one. Previous studies have shown strong quadriceps - muscles in your thigh - are associated with a lower risk of death in patients with coronary artery disease, The Mirror reports.
The new study tested the idea that leg strength is associated with a lower risk of heart failure after a heart attack. A total of 932 patients hospitalised between 2007 to 2020 with acute myocardial infarction who did not have heart failure prior to their admission, and did not develop heart failure complications during their hospital stay, with an average age of 66, took part.
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Max quadriceps strength was measured as an indicator of leg strength with patients sitting on a chair and contracting their quadriceps muscles as hard as possible for five seconds. A handheld dynamometer attached to the ankle recorded the maximum value in kilos with the measurement performed on each leg and the researchers used the average of both values.
Strength was expressed relative to body weight - quadriceps strength in kilos was divided by body weight in kilos and multiplied by 100 for a percentage body weight value. Patients were then categorised as 'high' or 'low' according to whether their results were above or below the median for their sex. The median value for women was 33 per cent body weight and the median value for men was 52 per cent body weight.
451 patients had low quadriceps strength while 481 had high strength. During an average follow up of four-and-a-half years, 67 patients had developed heart failure, equalling around 7.2 percent. The incidence of heart failure was 10.2 per 1,000 person-years in patients with high quadriceps strength and 22.9 per 1,000 person-years in those with low strength.
The Japanese researchers analysed the association between quadriceps strength and the risk of developing heart failure. Compared with low quadriceps strength, a high strength level was associated with a 41 per cent lower risk of developing heart failure. The research team also found that each five per cent body weight increment in quadriceps strength was associated with an 11 per cent lower likelihood of heart failure.
Study author Kensuke Ueno, a physical therapist at Kitasato University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, said: "Quadriceps strength is easy and simple to measure accurately in clinical practice. Our study indicates that quadriceps strength could help to identify patients at a higher risk of developing heart failure after myocardial infarction who could then receive more intense surveillance.
"The findings need to be replicated in other studies, but they do suggest that strength training involving the quadriceps muscles should be recommended for patients who have experienced a heart attack to prevent heart failure."
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