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medpundit |
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Saturday, March 08, 2003The researchers found that the average thigh length of men and women with normal glucose tolerance was 15.8 inches. It was 15.4 inches for those with insulin resistance and 15.1 in those with diabetes. Asao noted that leg length is determined by both genes and nutrition. While the thigh continues to grow until about age 20, how long it will get is determined by about age 4. Two earlier European studies have looked at overall leg length and found a link with the risk of diabetes. The latest study is the first to examine this in a large group of Americans and to focus on the thigh. Other researchers said that while the results are intriguing, they do not suggest anything people can do to avoid the risk of diabetes. "I would not go out and get my thighs stretched, if that's possible," said Dr. Russell Luepker, head of epidemiology at the University of Minnesota. I wouldn't go out and get my thighs measured, either. Who can measure leg length accurately to within 0.4 to 0.7 inches? Not many of us. It's often hard to hit the landmarks for measuring parts of the body accurately. This is especially true in the overweight, who (surprise!) are already at risk for diabetes. The article doesn't mention if the researchers controlled for weight in their subjects, nor does it mention the margin of error in their thigh measurements. Besides, screening for diabetes is very easy. It's a simple blood test, and we have no way to prevent the disease in those who are risk for developing it in the future. posted by Sydney on 3/08/2003 08:36:00 AM 0 comments 0 Comments: |
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