Professor Taqueti emphasized the importance of considering intermuscular fat as a distinct risk factor for heart disease, separate from BMI, and suggested it could serve as a marker for targeted interventions.

An editorial by Dr. Ranil de Silva highlighted the complex relationship between obesity and cardiovascular risk, underscoring the need for additional studies on muscle quality and its effects on heart disease outcomes.

This investigation is the first comprehensive study examining intermuscular fat, which is often found in beef steaks, and its impact on heart disease in humans.

Researchers quantified the 'fatty muscle fraction' to assess intermuscular fat and monitored patients for approximately six years, tracking hospitalizations and deaths related to heart disease.

Findings published in the European Heart Journal reveal that intermuscular fat significantly increases the risk of hospitalization or death due to heart attacks or heart failure, independent of body mass index (BMI).

The study indicated that higher levels of intermuscular fat are correlated with increased coronary microvascular dysfunction (CMD), with a 7% increased risk of serious heart disease for every 1% rise in fatty muscle fraction.

Interestingly, unlike intermuscular fat, subcutaneous fat did not elevate the risk of heart disease, highlighting the different roles various fat types play in cardiovascular health.

Patients exhibiting both high intermuscular fat and CMD were found to have an especially heightened risk of adverse cardiovascular events, while those with greater lean muscle mass experienced a reduced risk.

A recent study led by Professor Viviany Taqueti from Brigham and Women's Hospital involved 669 patients, with an average age of 63, predominantly women (70%) and nearly half identifying as non-white (46%).

Participants in the study were evaluated for symptoms such as chest pain and shortness of breath, and all had no obstructive coronary artery disease, with PET/CT scans used to assess heart function and body composition.

The study advocates for further research to explore treatments that target fat in muscles and their implications for heart health, including potential weight-loss therapies and lifestyle modifications.