People with thick thighs not only live longer, but are not prone to heart failure after myocardial infarction
▎WuXi AppTec content team editor
Both men and women, many people will feel distressed by their thick and strong thighs and wish they could have a pair of slender legs.
But did you know that the thickness, strength and thinness of the legs are not only related to whether they look good on the outside, but also reflect the health of the body, and are related to the occurrence, development and death risk of some diseases, such as:
The study, published in Endocrine Connections, found that thigh circumference was associated with high and low blood pressure, and the thicker the thigh, the lower the risk of high blood pressure and heart disease in obese patients;
A study published in The BMJ showed that people with thick legs had a lower risk of death, with a 5 cm increase in thigh circumference associated with an 18% lower risk of all-cause mortality.
Not only that, according to a study presented at the 2023 Heart Failure 2023 & World Congress on Acute Heart Failure, people with strong thighs have a lower risk of heart failure (heart failure) after myocardial infarction (myocardial infarction).
Image source: 123RF
Heart failure is a severe and terminal stage of cardiovascular disease, with high rates of disability and death. As the population ages, the prevalence of heart failure is also increasing, and it is becoming an increasingly important global public health problem.
Myocardial infarction is currently one of the most common and important causes of heart failure worldwide. Epidemiological data show that about 6% to 9% of patients with myocardial infarction will develop heart failure. The occurrence of heart failure after myocardial infarction will significantly increase the risk of short-term and long-term adverse events, such as hospitalization and death.
Researchers from Kitasato University and other institutions in Japan followed up 932 participants hospitalized with acute myocardial infarction. None of the participants had heart failure prior to hospitalization, the mean age was 66 years, and 753 (81%) were men.
The researchers counted basic information such as height and weight, lifestyle information such as smoking status, alcohol consumption and diet, and history and treatment history of myocardial infarction, angina, diabetes, atrial fibrillation, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, peripheral artery disease and kidney disease.
The researchers also measured the maximum strength of the participants' quadriceps muscles to calculate leg strength strength. The quadriceps is the thigh muscle of the human body, located in front of the thigh muscle, there are 4 heads - rectus femoris, medial femoris muscle, lateral femoral muscle and intermediate femoris muscle, to make the thigh strong The first thing is to develop the quadriceps muscle.
The measurement method is that the participant sits in a chair, contracts the quadriceps as hard as possible for 5 seconds, and the ergometer attached to both ankles will record the maximum value separately, taking the average of the two ankles.
Leg strength intensity is relative to body weight and is calculated as maximum strength of the quadriceps muscles (average of 2 legs, in kilograms) / body weight (in kilograms) × 100%.
Based on whether the participants' leg strength strength was higher or lower than the median of their sex, the researchers rated the participants as "high" or "low" intensity.
Image source: 123RF
The statistical results showed that the median strength of the legs was 33% for women and 52% for men; Leg strength was low in 451 participants and 481 at high intensity.
During an average follow-up period of 4.5 years, 67 participants (7.2%) developed heart failure. The incidence of heart failure was per 10.2 person-years per 1000 person-years for participants with high leg strength intensity and 22.9 per 1000 person-years for participants with low leg strength intensity.
After removing other factors, the researchers found that leg strength strength was associated with participants' heart failure risk:
Participants with high leg strength intensity had a 41% lower risk of developing heart failure compared to participants with low leg strength intensity;
Every 5% increase in leg strength strength was associated with an 11% lower risk of heart failure in participants.
The researchers analyzed that the association between strong thigh strength and reduced risk of heart failure in patients with myocardial infarction may be related to the stronger metabolism of thigh fat.
Studies have found that people with thicker and stronger thighs have better heart function and healthier body metabolism, which helps maintain healthy blood pressure and blood sugar, and reduce the risk of diseases such as high blood pressure and diabetes, which are all risk factors for heart failure. However, the relevant mechanism has not yet been clarified, and more research and exploration are needed.
It is important to note that this study was observational and only showed that stronger thigh strength was associated with a reduced risk of developing heart failure in patients with myocardial infarction, and did not indicate a causal relationship. There are also some limitations in the study, such as some data relying on participant recall, which may also affect the study results.
Image source: 123RF
Study author Mr. Kensuke Ueno of Kitasato University said: "Heart failure is a common complication after myocardial infarction, which can significantly increase patient mortality and readmission rates, and seriously affect the quality of life of patients. Our study shows that quadriceps strength helps identify patients at higher risk of heart failure after myocardial infarction, and patients with myocardial infarction should be strictly monitored for leg strength and recommended training to strengthen quadriceps strength to prevent the occurrence of heart failure. ”
In addition to strength training, China's "2020 Expert Consensus on the Prevention and Treatment of Heart Failure after Myocardial Infarction" recommends that a reasonable diet should also be achieved in daily life, adhere to a low-sodium diet, patients with mild heart failure consume 2-3 grams of salt per day, patients with moderate and severe heart failure consume <2 grams of salt per day, and severe patients drink up to 1.5-2.0 liters of water per day.
Pay attention to keep the stool smooth; Daily weight measurement and monitoring of blood pressure and heart rate; Quit smoking; Pay attention to rest, do not exert work, avoid infection; Appropriate exercise, mainly daily physical activity, exercise to avoid heart failure symptoms is appropriate; Control cardiovascular disease risk factors such as hypertension and diabetes.
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Resources
[1] Cardiovascular Physician Branch of Chinese Medical Doctor Association, et al., (2020). 2020 Expert consensus on the prevention and treatment of heart failure after myocardial infarction. Chinese Journal of Circulation, DOI:10.3969/j.issn.1000-3614.2020.12.002.
[2] Heart attack patients with strong legs have better prognosis. Retrieved May 29,2023,from https://www.escardio.org/The-ESC/Press-Office/Press-releases/Heart-attack-patients-with-strong-legs-have-better-prognosis
[3] Heart attack patients with strong legs have better prognosis, finds research. Retrieved May 29,2023,from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-05-heart-patients-strong-legs-prognosis.html
[4] GE Junbo,XU Yongjian,WANG Chen. Internal Medicine[M].9th Edition. Beijing:People's Medical Publishing House,2018.