AI Predicts Heart Disease Risk From Mammograms

Researchers find AI analysis of breast artery calcium can identify women at higher risk of heart disease and stroke.

Published on Mar. 9, 2026

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A new study shows that artificial intelligence (AI) analysis of mammograms can predict a woman's risk of serious heart disease, including heart attack, stroke, and heart failure. The AI can detect calcium buildup in breast arteries, which is linked to cardiovascular disease risk. Researchers say this technique could help identify women with undiagnosed or undertreated heart disease, as women are often underdiagnosed compared to men.

Why it matters

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in women worldwide, yet women are consistently underdiagnosed and undertreated compared to men. Integrating AI-powered heart disease risk assessment into routine mammography screenings could help address this disparity by identifying high-risk women who may not otherwise receive preventive care.

The details

The study analyzed mammograms from 123,762 women with no known cardiovascular disease. Using AI, researchers categorized the amount of calcium buildup in the women's breast arteries as severe, moderate, mild, or absent. They found that women with mild calcification were 30% more likely to develop serious heart disease, those with moderate calcification had over 70% higher risk, and those with severe calcification had two to three times higher risk compared to women with no calcification. This held true even for women under 50, who are often considered low-risk.

  • The study was published on March 9, 2026 in the European Heart Journal.

The players

Hari Trivedi

A researcher from Emory University in Atlanta who led the study.

Lori B. Daniels

A professor at the University of California, San Diego who wrote an editorial accompanying the study.

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What they’re saying

“Heart disease is the leading cause of death in women worldwide, yet women are consistently underdiagnosed and undertreated compared to men.”

— Hari Trivedi, Researcher, Emory University (Mirage News)

“Breast arterial calcification (BAC) has the potential to reframe this mismatch, leveraging a widely adopted cancer-screening platform to identify cardiovascular risk in women who may not otherwise engage with prevention.”

— Lori B. Daniels, Professor, University of California, San Diego (Mirage News)

What’s next

Researchers are now planning a clinical trial to test integrating the AI tool into existing mammography programs and establishing guidelines for notifying patients and doctors about cardiovascular risk identified through the scans.

The takeaway

This study demonstrates how AI analysis of routine mammograms could help address the gender gap in heart disease diagnosis and treatment, by identifying women at high risk of serious cardiovascular events who may not otherwise receive preventive care.