In older adults, incident heart failure (HF) was associated with disproportionate loss of lean mass, particularly among men, a recent study found. Using yearly dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry, body composition was assessed among 2,815 participants (48.5% men, 59.6% white, mean age 73.6±2.9 years) from the Health, Aging, and Body Composition study over 6 years, comparing those who developed incident HF vs those who did not. Researchers found:

• 111 participants developed incident HF over the 6-year study period.
• At study entry, men and women who later developed HF had higher total body mass vs those who did not develop HF.
• However, after developing HF, loss of total lean body mass was disproportionate; men with HF lost 654.6 vs 391.4 g/y in non-HF participants.