THE only time doctors normally mention a patient’s fingers
is when they ask them to point to where it hurts. However research suggests GPS
might be better off taking a closer look.
Numerous studies show fingers contain vital clues to
potential future health problems.
The key is the difference between the index finger (the one
next to the thumb) and the ring finger.
Men tend to have a longer ring finger while women tend to
have ring and index fingers similar in length. It can vary considerably. The
ratio is determined by exposure to testosterone while in the womb.
It now seems this has a profound effect. Men with longer
index fingers are thought to have been exposed to less testosterone.
In the latest discovery scientists have found that men who
have an index finger longer than their ring finger on their right hand are likely
to respond better to a particular drug if they get prostate cancer.
Numerous studies show fingers contain vital clues to
potential future health problems.The drug dutasteride works by blocking effects
of testosterone.
There are a variety of illnesses and traits that can be
influenced by finger length:
.HEART DISEASE..
Scientists at the University of Liverpool were among the
first to highlight the health consequences of finger length back in the late
Nineties.
They found men whose ring fingers were the same length or
shorter than their index fingers were at far greater risk of a heart attack in
their 30s and 40s.
If a man’s ring finger is longer than his index finger it
means he probably has higher levels of testosterone which can protect against
heart disease.
.OSTEOARTHRITIS..
Men and women with long ring fingers compared with their
index fingers appear at more risk of osteoarthritis of the knee, according to
researchers at Nottingham University.
They found this pattern seemed to double the risk of joint
inflammation and pain. The reason is unclear as it is not known how
testosterone affects joint damage later in life.
.BRAIN FUNCTION..
US researchers recently found women who have a longer ring
finger have a better sense of direction.
This suggests they had greater exposure to testosterone in
the womb and the hormone is thought to play a crucial role in the way the brain
develops.
.DEPRESSION..
A long ring finger means a man is more likely to suffer
depression which is not true in women.
Experts believe excess testosterone during a baby boy’s
development promotes the brain’s right hemisphere.
Although this can contribute to mathematical and musical
abilities it has been linked to migraine, autism, schizophrenia and depression.
.MOTOR NEURONE DISEASE..
This incurable illness robs the body’s muscles of all their
strength but leaves the mind intact.
Last year the Institute of Psychiatry in London found those
with longer ring fingers were more at risk.
Testosterone plays an important role in the nerve cells that
control muscle function but it seems too much at the early stages could be
disastrous later in life.
.SPORTING ABILITY..
Professional footballers and athletes tend to have a longer
ring finger as the raised pre-natal testosterone levels are thought to
contribute to a man’s physique.
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