The Anonymous Widower

Thunder Thighs Are Good

That is the message being posted on the news this morning, but it is not quite that if you read the news report.

I heard it that if your thighs were less than 60 cm. then this was bad for your heart.  It’s actually, if your thighs are less than 55 cm., then this is true.  Here’s what the report says.

The study looked at more than 2800 men and women with an average age of around 50.

It found that the risk of heart disease more than doubled for both men and women who had a thigh circumference of less than 55 centimetres.

Those participants with thighs between 55 and 60 centimetres received a protective effect against heart disease, the study reports.

But that protective effect reduced for people with thighs above 60 centimetres in circumference.

So because my thighs are only 48 cm. (19 in.) does that put me at risk?  Possibly not, as my waist is only 75 cm. (30 in.)?

Probably not, if I read the next bit.

Associate Professor David Cameron-Smith, of Deakin University in Melbourne, says this is very powerful research.

He says a growing body of research is showing the increased risk of heart disease associated with living a sedentary lifestyle.

According to Cameron-Smith, thigh circumference is a broad indicator of physical activity and muscle mass is related to how much exercise you do.

I don’t live that sort of lifestyle all the time. In fact when my fitness was last checked a few months ago, it was probably that of a man ten years younger than me.  It wasn’t always so and has improved over the last few years since I was diagnosed as a coeliac and have gone on a gluten free diet.

I also get a lot of exercise trying to find good clothes that fit properly.

September 4, 2009 - Posted by AnonW | Health | Coeliac/Gluten-Free, Fitness