Journal of the American College of CardiologyNov 9, 2026, 21:19 GMT

Chest muscle and weight index linked to heart failure risk

A higher index of excess fat and low muscle mass was associated with heart failure, with a hazard ratio of 1.31.

Paper by Mihir M. Sanghvi, Hannah L. Nicholls, Thomas M. Kaplan, +12Nay Aung · Queen Mary University of London

Our read

Studied:: Cohort study of 55,768 people who underwent magnetic resonance heart scans
What changed:: Heart failure risk was higher with a higher sarcopenic obesity index (hazard ratio 1.31)
The catch:: Health differences not accounted for in the models could explain the heart failure association
In the record:: The 3rd paper on ACVR2B with results in people; 43 on record in all.

Editor of record: Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News

People who underwent magnetic resonance heart scans were studied in an observational analysis using 55,768 examinations. A computer system measured the mass of the large chest muscle. Researchers combined that measurement with body weight to create an index of sarcopenic obesity, meaning excess fat alongside low muscle mass.

Higher index values were associated with unfavorable heart remodeling and higher risks of heart failure, cardiovascular death and death from any cause. The hazard ratio for heart failure was 1.31, a measure of the relative rate over follow-up rather than an absolute chance of disease. A genetic analysis identified 16 DNA regions associated with the index. Some included genes associated with heart failure or heart muscle disease.

Why it matters

For aging research, body composition offers a way to examine cardiovascular risk beyond body weight alone. The authors identified sarcopenic obesity as a clinically meaningful risk pattern and pointed to potential therapeutic targets.

Caveats

Health differences not accounted for in the statistical models could have contributed to the heart failure association. The analysis did not test whether changing muscle mass or body weight would prevent heart failure.