The shorter a woman's legs, the more likely she is to have liver
damage, with both most likely the result of diet or other factors
early in life, according to British researchers.
The findings of study of 3,600 women dovetailed with other
studies linking leg length with diabetes and heart disease, Abigail
Fraser of the University of Bristol and colleagues said.
"Adult liver function is affected by early life environmental
exposures as reflected in leg length, and this may suggest common
childhood influences on liver development and adult risk of
diabetes and coronary heart disease," they wrote.
Fraser's team looked at women aged 60 to 79 who were taking part
in a larger health study. They measured their leg length as
compared to trunk length and also measured four liver enzymes:
alanine aminotransferase, gamma-glutamyltransferase, aspartate
transaminase and alkaline phosphatase.
"Each of these markers reflects a different aspect of potential
liver damage," they wrote in their report, published in the Journal
of Epidemiology and Community Health.
Leg length can point to how well a person was nourished in early
childhood.
"In particular, evidence shows that breast-feeding, high-energy
intake at four years and childhood affluent socioeconomic position
are all associated with longer adult leg length," Fraser's team
wrote.
The findings held even when Fraser's team took into account
smoking, drinking and other behaviors that can damage a person's
liver.
(Agencies via Xinhua News Agency December 27, 2007)