Your body shape tells you what diseases you are prone to

Perhaps you have never realized that your height, leg length, finger length, etc. may be related to disease. However, a large number of foreign studies have found that the body proportions of different parts of the human body, from head to toe, often indicate the occurrence of different diseases.

If you are tall

Breast cancer. Women taller than 175cm are more likely to develop and die from breast cancer. One reason is that the hormones that affect a woman's height can cause an increase in milk duct tissue in the breast. This tissue is where most breast tumors develop, so the more ducts you have, the more likely you are to get breast cancer.

Prostate cancer. A Boston study that tracked 22,000 men for 12 years found that men over 182 cm tall had a 59% increased risk of prostate cancer compared to men shorter than 170 cm. The study showed that for every 10 centimeters taller a man is, his risk of cancer increases by 6%. Analysis suggests that tall men have more insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) in their bodies, which increases the risk of prostate cancer.

Pancreatic cancer. Men over 185 cm tall and women over 168 cm tall have an 81% increased risk of pancreatic cancer. Researchers at the National Cancer Institute of the United States said that for every 2.5 cm increase in height, the risk of pancreatic cancer will increase by 6%-10%. A research report from the University of Washington shows that this may be because the hormones that make people grow taller also increase the chance of cancer cell growth.

What if you are short ?

heart disease. A Harvard University study found that men shorter than 170 cm are more likely to suffer from heart disease than men taller than 185 cm. Studies have found that men under 170 cm tall have a 60% higher risk of heart attack than men taller than 170 cm tall. For every 2.5 cm increase in height, the risk decreases by 2%-3%. The reason is that short men have narrower blood vessels, which are more prone to blockage, leading to heart disease.

Gastric cancer. Researchers at the University of Bristol say gastric cancer is linked to infection with Helicobacter pylori, a virus that is also the direct cause of gastric ulcers. Studies have shown that if children are infected with Helicobacter pylori, their growth may be slowed. Therefore, people with short stature have a relatively higher incidence of gastric cancer.

If you have a small head

Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease. A study of elderly women showed that 20% of women with a head circumference of 57-58 cm suffered from the disease, while 70% of women with a head circumference of 51-52 cm suffered from the disease. Meanwhile, a German study found that having a below-average brain circumference (58cm for men and 55cm for women) significantly increases the risk of developing Alzheimer's. The reason is that if the head is bigger, the brain will contain more neurons, which can better fight aging.

If your neck and waist are thick

People with thick neck and waist

heart disease. A double chin and a thick neck may be signs of an unhealthy heart. Recently, experts from the Framingham Heart Study in the United States surveyed 3,300 volunteers with an average age of 51. The results showed that for every 3 cm increase in neck circumference in men, the level of high-density lipoprotein in the body decreased by an average of 0.12 mmol/L, and in women it decreased by 0.15 mmol/L. Therefore, scientists believe that neck circumference is a "natural way" to measure a person's upper body fat, which is closely related to heart disease.

In addition, waist size is closely related to heart health. In recent years, relevant studies in various countries have found that men with thick waist circumference are 42% more likely to suffer from heart disease than other men, and women are 44% more likely to suffer from heart disease than other women. French scientists studied 7,000 middle-aged French policemen who died of heart disease between 1967 and 1984, focusing on the impact of waist circumference and body mass index (BMI) (a global standard used to determine whether a person is overweight or obese) on the disease. The results showed that men with big bellies were more likely to die suddenly, and the risk of sudden death increased with increasing waist circumference.

If your neck and waist are long

Long neck

Diseases of the cervical and lumbar spine. Studies have shown that people with long necks and waists have a relatively large range of motion and are subject to relatively heavy loads. Japan conducted a long-term study on more than 3,000 people with long necks or waists. The reason why these people have longer waists or necks than others is not because of the increase in the number of joints, but because each of their lumbar or cervical vertebrae is longer. Studies have shown that the smaller the ratio of a person's leg length to torso length, the weaker the jumping ability and the less protection the waist provides. Therefore, people with long waists are particularly prone to waist fatigue, and may suffer from waist muscle strain, lumbar vertebra hyperplasia and some aseptic inflammation. Similarly, people with long necks face the same problem.

If you have long fingers

Finger length

Autism, depression, and myocardial infarction. Many medical conditions are related to finger length, especially the difference in length between the index and ring fingers. A longer ring finger indicates a higher level of testosterone, while a longer index finger indicates a higher level of estrogen. People whose ring fingers are longer than their index fingers are prone to autism, and people whose index fingers are longer are prone to depression.

In addition, researchers at the University of Liverpool found that the probability of suffering a myocardial infarction at a young age is somewhat related to the length of a man's ring finger. Men with shorter ring fingers are more likely to suffer a myocardial infarction because they have lower levels of testosterone in their bodies, which can prevent myocardial infarction.

If you have short legs

Short legs

diabetes. People with short legs are 20% more likely to suffer from the disease than those with long legs. A study of 4,200 people at the University of Bristol showed that for every 4.3 cm increase in leg length, the risk of diabetes decreased by 19%. There are many reasons for this. Malnutrition in infancy will directly affect the development of the legs, which is also related to the occurrence of diabetes.

hypertension. A University of London study that tracked 3,000 people since birth showed that the shorter the legs, the higher the risk of high blood pressure. In particular, people who experience limited height growth in their first year of life are more likely to suffer from vascular problems in older age.

Liver damage. Abhijay Fraser and colleagues from the University of Bristol in the UK conducted a study on 3,600 volunteers aged 60 to 79. The researchers measured the length of the volunteers' legs and compared them with their torso lengths. They also checked various indicators of the volunteers' liver function. The results showed that among these people, the shorter the legs, the more likely they were to have signs of liver damage, and this association remained after excluding smoking, drinking and other behavioral factors.