Featured Image Credit: nisara Tangtrakul via Getty
There are countless things that your body does to let you know there's something wrong, yet one of the most alarming signs could actually be flying under the radar for millions as they age.
While you might not be able to diagnose or discover exactly what's causing certain ailments across your body, it's often clear to people that something is wrong from the changes that you can notice.
These often prompt people to seek out advice regarding their health, and this is especially important the older you get as the risk of both developing something and it transforming into a greater danger is higher.
One doctor has revealed a fascinating sign that can often be observed among individuals with high insulin levels across the years, and it's not one that you might have expected.
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Revealing the bizarre symptom when speaking to Steven Bartlett's Diary of a CEO podcast, insulin expert Dr Annette Bosworth – also known by her moniker 'Dr Boz' – indicates that the amount of hair on your toes can be a telltale sign.
"As my patients age, most of my 55-year-olds that have had high insulin, I will tell them, 'look at your toes'," she explains.
"They're supposed to have hair on them, and when your body has had that high insulin state for a couple decades now, it will start to say, we don't send resources to a couple parts of the body anymore, and the follicles in their toe are one of them, like you just stop growing hair on your toes."
Insulin is a hormone that's naturally produced by your body and is a vital function for your daily life, yet excess insulin production and heightened insulin resistance – most commonly as a consequence of high-sugar foods that spike glucose levels – can have an unintended impact.
High insulin levels, often referred to as hyperinsulinemia, commonly trigger hormonal imbalances that increase androgrens which then in turn shrink hair follicles across your body, and Dr Bosworth reveals that this often works in ascending order.
It starts with your toes, then onto your ankles and legs, and patients can often be left with no hair on their extremities — and it's all down to your body dealing with high levels of insulin for a long period of your life.
This might make you feel better about your hairy toes if they're a particular insecurity, as it's actually a sign of good health that you should be proud of later on in life.
