Study Links Short Legs
to Heart Disease, Diabetes

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Having short legs may be a risk factor for developing diabetes or heart disease, according to British researchers.

While it is not clear why leg length might be associated with these illnesses, the researchers point out that the length of a person's legs is an indicator of childhood nutrition, which may have long-lasting effects on health.

Dr. G. Davey Smith of the University of Bristol, UK, and colleagues published their findings in the November issue of the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

The investigators took blood samples and measured the leg lengths of more than 2,500 men aged 45 to 59 years. The men's health was followed for 15 years with repeated examinations.

Men who had shorter legs were more likely to develop insulin resistance--a loss of sensitivity to this blood sugar-regulating hormone that can represent the early stage of type 2 diabetes, the report indicates.

These men were also more likely to have ``less favorable'' levels of blood fats such as cholesterol and triglycerides, and higher levels of the blood-clotting factor fibrinogen. All of these factors can increase a person's risk of heart disease.

``Leg length is the component of stature related to insulin resistance and coronary heart disease risk,'' Smith and colleagues conclude.

``We demonstrate that the inverse association is specific to leg length, and is not seen for trunk length,'' the authors add.

While previous studies have found a link between a person's height and heart disease risk, the researchers note that the critical component may, in fact, be the length of their legs as opposed to the length of their trunk or short stature in general.

SOURCE: Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health 2001;55:867-872.

Reference Source 89

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