If you have diabetes, it may be better to be short than tall.
Why? Well, it has to do with those pseky foot and leg ulcers
that can cause anthing from minor inconvenience to amputation.
When ulcers become series, it's becaue they have become
infected, perhaps even leading to gangrene--which is the major
reason for amputation.
In the general population, a simple cut or other open wound
isn't usually a problem, because it causes some degree of pain
that alerts the person to its presence and allows him or her to
seek treatment.
Diabetics, however, are prone to nerve damage, which can mean
they have ulcers on feet or legs and aren't even aware of them
until they have become serious problems.
That's where the height difference comes in. According to a
study by the National Taiwan University Hospital, reported in
the Canadian Medical Association Journal, taller diabetics are
more likjely to need amputation than those who are shorter.
The reason? The nerves that lead to the legs and feet are the
longest in the body, making them especially vulnerable to
diabetic nerve damage. Naturally,the taller you are the longer
those nerves are, and the more susceptible they are to
deterioration and loss of function.
The shorter nerves of shorter diabetics are not as open to
damage, so those people are better able to feel the pain when a
cut or other wound happens, giving them a chance to deal with it
before it causes serious damage.
So if you are a tall diabetic, is this cause for panic or
despair? Not at all. It just reinforces the advice we diabetics
have always been given: look after your feet and legs carefully,
check regularly for wounds, ulcers or anything unusual--and get
them treated right away.
And yes, that goes for diabetics both short and tall!
About the author:
Bob Fleming suffers from Type 2 diabetes, but he does everything
he can to suffer as little as possible! Visit his website at
http://www.thediabetes
infoplace.com for informative articles and resources, and
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Bob's free weekly
diabetic-friendly dessert recipe!
