Study reveals which foods could turn thigh muscles into fat
Everyone knows there are risks associated with eating unhealthy food, but new research has revealed an even more shocking truth.
Choosing to adopt a healthier lifestyle is great, but old habits die hard.
Sometimes, all you need is an intense rude awakening.
You might be surprised to know that the picture above is not of a piece of meat.
It’s actually an MRI scan of a 62-year-old’s thigh.
This particular scan is also not what every person’s thigh looks like, or even should look like.
It shows what can happen to human muscle when nine out of 10 calories consumed come from ultraprocessed foods.
Ultraprocessed foods have been linked to weight gain, obesity, cancer, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and depression.
Research suggests they may even shorten a person's life.
More than half of all calories consumed by adults in the United States come from ultraprocessed foods, according to the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
Among children, that figure rises to 62%.
While none of this might be particularly surprising, a new study published in Radiology has found more worrying results.
The study analysed MRI scans from 615 people participating in the Osteoarthritis Initiative.
The initiative is a nationwide research study designed to learn how to prevent and treat knee osteoarthritis.
CNN reported that Dr Zehra Akkaya, a researcher and consultant in the Clinical and Translational Musculoskeletal Imaging Research group at the University of California, San Francisco, noted that the participant mentioned above had a diet consisting mainly of cold cereals, chocolate confectionery, and sugary soft drinks.
These hidden streaks of fat, forming between and within muscle fibres, can signal serious health problems.
A second participant in the study, a 61-year-old woman whose diet comprised approximately 29% ultraprocessed foods, also showed fat marbling in her thigh muscles, though to a lesser degree.
What made both cases particularly alarming was that neither woman showed any signs of knee osteoarthritis at the time of scanning, yet both already had compromised muscle quality.
While fat is necessary for certain bodily functions and protection, there are places where it shouldn’t be and where it could indicate more serious health issues.
Fat cells within muscle tissue act as a barrier to healthy growth, preventing muscle fibres from regenerating properly.
This weakening of the muscles is a significant driver of knee osteoarthritis, the most common form of joint disease, which affects nearly 375 million people worldwide.
Once considered a condition of older age, more than half of new cases now occur in people under 55, a shift largely attributed to rising global obesity rates.
Thigh muscles play a central role in stabilising the knee joint.
Any reduction in their strength increases mechanical stress on the joint, a burden that is further amplified in those carrying excess body weight.
Radiologist Dr Miriam Bredella, director of the Clinical and Translational Science Institute at NYU Langone Health, explained that this type of fat infiltration is not limited to the thigh.
The calves, shoulders and abdomen are equally affected, as it is a systemic process throughout the body.
Reduced muscle quality also carries consequences beyond joint health.
In hospitalised patients, muscle weakness is associated with longer recovery times.
In surgical patients, it is linked to poorer outcomes, higher rates of complications and increased tumour recurrence in those with cancer.
The study found a clear pattern: the more ultraprocessed food a person consumed, the greater the fat deposits in their thigh muscles, regardless of total calorie intake.
So is it fair to only blame ultraprocessed foods for these effects?
It's important to note that the study did not establish direct causation; the researchers described a clear, strong association between food and fat.
Whether reducing ultraprocessed food intake would reverse muscle fat infiltration remains unknown.
What is clear, however, is that combining regular exercise with a healthier diet can meaningfully improve muscle quality, and whilst this is easier for younger people, it remains achievable at any age.
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Image: Radiology Volume 319, Number 1