A new study has linked better upper-body muscle quality with a lower risk of heart attack and death.

The findings, published today in Radiology, came after researchers used AI to analyse scans from 1,722 patients taking part in the Scottish Computed Tomography of the Heart trial.

The patients, who had an average age of 58, underwent scans for chest pain between 2010 and 2014.

Researchers from the University of Edinburgh then tracked them over a 10-year follow-up period to see whether they suffered a heart attack or died. During that time, 133 patients died and 106 had a fatal or non-fatal heart attack.

They found that higher 'skeletal muscle attenuation' – a CT measure of muscle quality, with lower readings suggesting more fatty infiltration within the muscle – was linked with a reduced risk of heart attack and death during the follow-up period.

The muscles captured in these scans, known as coronary computed tomography angiograms, or CCTAs, are mainly the back muscles, part of the chest muscles, or 'pecs', and the intercostal muscles between the ribs.

Professor Bryan Williams OBE, Chief Scientific and Medical Officer at the British Heart Foundation, said: 'It is likely that people in this study with more dense muscle mass were more physically active and as a result may have better heart health. 

'That is yet more evidence supporting the power of exercise.

'Every time we move, we are making a positive difference to our muscles, our blood vessels and our overall health, and regular exercise can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease by up to a third.'

Around 350,000 people have a CCTA scan in the UK each year to identify narrowing or blockages in the coronary arteries, which supply the heart muscle with blood and can increase the risk of a heart attack.

The researchers stressed that their findings are not simply about being muscular. In fact, muscle size was not linked with the risk of heart attack or death, suggesting it is the composition and quality of the muscle that may matter.

Good-quality muscles in the chest and back are likely to reflect better muscle quality throughout the body, and may also be a marker of people who are more physically active and have greater torso strength.

The study grouped people based on how bright their muscle appeared on scan images, with brighter images indicating denser, healthier muscles. 

For every 10-point increase in scan brightness, a person was calculated to be 31 per cent less likely to have a heart attack. They were also 39 per cent less likely to die in the 10 years after having the scan.

This was seen, even after taking into account other factors which may increase people's risk of heart attacks and death, including age, sex and the amount of calcium which had built up in their arteries. 

The amount of fat in people's torsos and liver, which the researchers also examined, were not significantly linked to people's risk of a heart attack. 

Professor Michelle Williams, senior author of the study, which was part-funded by the British Heart Foundation, said: 'It is fascinating that people's skeletal muscle could be linked to their risk of having a heart attack.

'So I am now personally interested in exercises like cycling, planks and Pilates, which I enjoy and may have an effect on these muscles.

'However, we need far more research to better understand how exercise may affect muscle density, and how this may relate to heart health.'

The AI used in the study also significantly sped up assessing the quality of someone's muscle, taking just minutes compared to the hours a human radiologist would have needed to do the same thing. 

The study suggests that in the future, routine heart scans could be used to predict people's heart attack risk, allowing for earlier treatment and potentially life-saving lifestyle interventions. 

Higher risk people could then be helped to exercise more  or prioritised for drugs such as statins, which can reduce the risk of a heart attack. 

However more research is needed before scans could be relied upon in this way.

Regularly going to the gym and making time for exercise won't just give you denser muscles, it will also protect you against one of the biggest causes of heart disease - obesity. 

Research released by the British Heart Foundation yesterday revealed that around 45 people will die from obesity-linked heart disease every single day over the next decade if current trends continue.

Currently, around 200,000 people a year suffer a heart attack or stroke, making cardiovascular disease the UK's biggest killer.

And while the obesity crisis may be tapering off in some countries, in the UK, obesity rates are still rising - especially among the country's youngest.

Obesity costs the NHS in excess of £6.5 billion per year and is one of the leading causes of preventable ill health, increasing the risk of heart attack, stroke and cancer.

Around one in nine cardiovascular deaths in England are attributed to excess weight and obesity every year, driven predominantly by poor diets.

High levels of deprivation and vast inequalities across the country have also been blamed for the obesity epidemic in England, with high fat, salt and sugary foods (HFSS) more readily available than healthier options.

'We are at risk of sleepwalking further into an obesity epidemic which will have dire consequences for decades to come,' Dr Charmaine Griffiths, the charity's CEO said.

'Obesity is one of the biggest drivers of cardiovascular disease, so if we don't keep momentum, there could be tens of thousands of families who will lose loved ones needlessly over the next decade.'