Thigh Circumference and Cardiovascular Disease

Posted by Wendy Anne Makhdum Prosser Sep 10, 2009

Any reader who has ever bemoaned her chunky thighs can take heart. A study from Denmark published in the British Medical Journal has found that thin thighs may be associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, regardless of other factors such as obesity, blood pressure, smoking and exercise levels.

Doctors already use ‘anthropometric’ features such as body mass index (BMI), hip circumference and waist-to-hip ratio to identify patients who might be at risk of cardiovascular problems. The authors of this new study suggest that thigh circumference might become a useful addition to these tools.

Interestingly, the BMJ has been criticized for its press release on this study. The title of the document, transmitted to news agencies worldwide, was ‘Large thighs protect against heart disease and early death’. This could be considered misleading, since the Danish study shows nothing of the sort. An ‘association’ is not the same as a ‘cause’ – a point that all writers and readers of health-related media would do well to remember!