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At arm's length from brain disease

What your limbs say about your health

by Daiana Feuer
Posted May 8th, 6:00am | Science/Health

A practical measure for your risk of developing dementia is within reach, literally from the tip of your fingers to your shoulder. And this doesn't mean you should hug your doctor and they'll give you the answer. A new study out of Tufts University links arm span as well as leg length to developing memory problems later in life. After testing 2,788 participants, they found that women with the shortest arm spans were 50 percent more likely to develop dementia and Alzheimer's. The longer her legs from foot to knee, the lower her risk of dementia. Though 80 percent of height is believed to be inherited, your short genes are not to blame; nutrition plays the X-factor in this brain development equation. "Body measures such as knee height and arm span are often used as biological indicators of early life deficits, such as a lack of nutrients," says study leader Tina Huang. Her team's research lends support to studies conducted in Asia which suggested that nutritional deficits as a child stunt your growth and lay the cornerstone for brain disease later on. So next time you catch a man staring at your legs in the gym or the coffee shop, for the sake of scientific inquiry, ask him if he has a ruler.  

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