They may be teased for their ‘thunder thighs’, but people with bigger thighs may have the last laugh. There is growing evidence that having strong, generous thighs can also be good for your health.
For example, a recent study found that strengthened quadriceps – the muscles at the front of the thigh, the largest in the body – could reduce the need for knee replacement. Meanwhile, research is looking at the benefits of strong thighs in other areas, from fatigue to breathing problems.
Here, experts explain what the evidence shows so far for the benefits of big thighs…
PROTECT THE HEART AFTER A HEART ATTACK
PEOPLE with strong thighs are less likely to develop heart failure after a heart attack. Nearly 10 percent of those who have had a heart attack develop heart failure, when the damaged heart is unable to pump enough blood through the body, leading to shortness of breath and swollen ankles.
People with strong thighs are less likely to develop heart failure after a heart attack (Stock Image)
But heart attack patients with strong thighs and thighs are 41 percent less likely to develop heart failure, according to a study from Kitasato University in Japan, published in December in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.
The researchers measured the strength of the quadriceps and leg muscles in more than 1,000 heart attack patients and, after following them four years later, found that every 5 percent increase in quadriceps strength was associated with an 11 percent decrease in muscle strength. risk of heart failure.
After an attack, the heart repairs itself and fibrous tissue accumulates, causing the heart to enlarge. This means the heart has to work harder to pump blood, the main cause of heart failure. The researchers found that strong quadriceps muscles reduced the impact of this, possibly by releasing beneficial proteins.
‘General fitness will give you a better outcome after a cardiac event,’ says Dr Charles Knight, consultant cardiologist at St Bartholomew’s Hospital in London.
CAN IMPROVE BRAIN POWER
RESEARCH increasingly suggests that having strong thighs can have a knock-on effect on brain power. For example, a 2015 study of 324 volunteers conducted by King’s College London identified a “striking protective relationship” between stronger thigh muscles and better preserved mental abilities and brain structure over a ten-year period.
The mechanisms involved were not yet fully understood, but the researchers behind the study, published in the journal Gerontology, suggested that these muscles may play a role in factors such as immune function, blood circulation and nerve signaling.
Additionally, a 2018 study from the University of Milan found that weight-bearing leg exercises, such as squats that strengthen the thighs, trigger nerve signals essential for the production of new, healthy brain cells.
Separately in his research, Damian Bailey, professor of physiology and biochemistry at the University of South Wales, has called squatting an ‘intelligent’ form of exercise because of the way it ‘intermittently challenges the brain’, with increases and decreases in circulation . current.
Blood supply is especially important for the hippocampus – the part of the brain responsible for learning and memory – which can shrink with aging.
According to Professor Bailey, doing squats sends more blood to the hippocampus than regular exercise such as walking. He told Radio 4 he discovered that three to five minutes, three times a week, can be better for your brain than 30 minutes of running or walking.
PROTECTION AGAINST ARTHRITIS
Good posture keeps our bones and joints in the correct position and reduces wear and tear that can cause pain in our hips, back, shoulders and neck.
And the key to good posture when we stand and walk is having strong thighs, says Professor Tony Kochhar, orthopedic surgeon at London Bridge Hospital.
‘Standing straight means not overloading any joint, because good posture is all about balance and spreading the load, which allows muscles to use each of their components in the way they were designed to.
‘Strong thigh muscles in particular are crucial, because they play a major role in supporting the body.’
Strong thigh muscles also help support the spine and can thus reduce lower back pain. A 2019 study in Singapore involving 84 runners with chronic back pain who were given core, back or leg strengthening exercises found that all reported improvements in back pain after eight weeks – and that the leg exercise group also had stronger knees.
According to a new study from the University of California, San Francisco, large thighs can also reduce the risk of needing a total knee replacement. A study of 134 people with osteoarthritis, the wear-and-tear form of arthritis, found that those with the largest quadriceps muscles were 82 percent less likely to need a total knee replacement than those with smaller quads.
‘Having bigger quads takes pressure off the joint,’ says Professor Kochhar. ‘In a loaded situation, the weight of the body passes through the joint. The muscles can take some of that pressure off the joint and it makes the joint more stable, so the knee joint twists less, which reduces wear and tear on the joint.’
Even if you develop arthritis in the knee, strong thighs can protect against pain – if you’re a woman. This was evident from a 2008 study by the University of Iowa.
When researchers measured the thighs of more than 3,000 men and women and then gave them X-rays, they found that the women with the largest thigh muscles were the least likely to have pain and stiffness, even if the X-rays showed they had arthritis. . Larger thighs seemed less protective in men, but it is unclear why.
However, Daniel Cohen, an orthopedic surgeon at Highfield Hospital in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, says that strong thigh muscles not only reduce the symptoms of osteoarthritis, but also its progression.
“They put less strain on the joint than if the muscles were out of balance,” he says. Plus, they reduce stress on the tendons — the tissue that attaches the muscles to the bone — allowing the muscles to have a full range of motion, he says.
HELP KEEP YOU SPRIGHTLY
STRONG thighs are important to prevent falls. ‘Falls are a leading cause of hospital admissions, especially in older people,’ says Sammy Margo, a physiotherapist from London. ‘That’s why it’s vital to have strong legs; they are the pillar of the body.’
Tim Allardyce, physiotherapist at Surrey Physio, agrees: ‘Strengthening the thigh muscles is good for proprioception: your body’s ability to sense movement, action and location. That contributes to your sense of balance, making you less likely to fall.’
The researchers concluded that fat on the thighs may be beneficial for metabolism if you have a pear shape (Stock Image)
Maintaining strength in the thighs can help soften the effects of aging, which can make everyday tasks like getting up from a sitting position difficult. However, it is best to work on the size and strength of these muscles in your younger or middle years to avoid problems later in life.
“Getting up and down from a chair or the toilet can be difficult as you get older,” explains Sammy Margo. ‘That’s why it’s important to build thigh muscles. A very good exercise is every time you get up from a chair, sit down and get up again ten times without holding the arms. This way you keep strong thighs, which can benefit your lifespan.’
PS BENEFITS OF BEING PEAR SHAPED
MORE than one in four adults in Britain have high blood pressure.
It is often caused by being overweight, but research conducted by Shanghai Jiao Tong University in 2020 found that in overweight people, greater thigh circumference was associated with a lower prevalence of high blood pressure.
The researchers concluded that fat on the thighs may be beneficial for metabolism if you are pear-shaped, but not if you have fat around the middle. This may be because it secretes substances that help keep blood pressure relatively stable.