Thin thighs not good for heart: Study
POSTED September 5, 2009 - 11:37 | POSTED BY Jyoti Pal
Last edited by Harpreet Bhagrath on September 5, 2009 - 12:19
The research conducted by Danish doctor has established that people with naturally thin thighs are more prone to developing heart disease and run an enhanced risk of dying early.
The body sizes and shapes’ link to risk of heart attacks has intrigued experts for quite some time now. Although various theories exist that link height and weight of the individual, as well as the size of the hips relative to the waist, to heart’s health no conclusive evidence on vulnerability to heart disease, the chief cause of bereavement globally, has been established.
The latest study, conducted on behalf of the World Health Organization, examined the body structure of 1,436 men and 1,380 women in Denmark.
The health of these participants was initially examined in 1987 and 1988. Thereafter, these people were tracked for more than 12 years.
Thigh circumference an indicator of heart’s health
The study found that people with thighs less than 24 inches (60 cm) in circumference were likely to die during those 12 years. The risk of heart disease and untimely death increased with a decline in the thigh size.
Those with the thinnest thighs, 18 inches (46 cm) in circumference had a two-fold higher risk of contracting a heart ailment and dying during those 12 years.
Berit Heitmann, director of research at Copenhagen University Hospital’s Institute of Preventive Medicine and lead author of the study said, "Our results suggest that there might be an increased risk of premature death related to thigh size.”
“General practitioners could use thigh circumference as an early marker to identify patients at later risk of cardiovascular disease and early mortality,” he suggested.
He opined that the undesirable effects of small thighs could have a relation to little muscle mass which affect fat and sugar metabolism.
More work required
Ian Scott, director of internal medicine at Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane, Australia, stressed the need for further study on the subject.
In an editorial that accompanied the study, he noted, “Randomized trials are needed to test whether interventions that increase thigh muscle mass through increased physical activity, in addition to or separate from current primary prevention strategies, decrease cardiovascular risk more than current practice.”
The study, funded by the Danish Medical Research Council, appears in the latest edition of British Medical Journal.
