Stilettos give women shapelier legs than flats?

According to a new study of 18 to 33-year-olds has shown those who walked in high heels activated their inner and outer calf muscles much more evenly than those who used flatter shoes.
A shorter heel, worn by half the subjects, led to them having bigger inner calf muscles because they are exercised more, according to the findings published in the Royal Society journal Biology Letters.

Professor Anna Ahn, of Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, California, and colleagues said: 'Similar to pulling a door-closer to its hinge, the ankle must be extended by a greater force when muscles pull closer to the ankle joint with a shorter heel.

'Heel length may determine calf muscle size in humans.
'In order to generate these higher forces at the ankle, these individuals activate their relatively thicker muscles for a longer duration.'
 
In the study the researchers analysed ten sedentary people, five men and five women, to ensure athletic training was not a factor in their performance.
They added: 'People come in different shapes and sizes. In particular, calf muscle size in humans varies considerably.

'Some people have short, stout lower leg muscles, while others have long, slender leg muscles.
'A possible cause for these differences in calf muscle size is the difference in neural signals received by the muscles, because muscles respond to increased neural activation with hypertrophy (excessive development).
'These individuals would also generate relatively higher muscle forces when walking, since muscle force increases with amplitude of muscle activity.'

Two years ago Italian researchers found wearing a pair of moderately high heels can tone the body, condition muscles and even improve a woman's sex life.
The study involved measuring electrical activity in the pelvic muscles of women when they held their feet at different angles.

Those who held their feet at a 15-degree angle to the ground, the equivalent of a 7cm heel, showed up to 15% less electrical activity in their pelvic muscles.
The results suggest the muscles are more relaxed when women wear higher heels, increasing their strength and ability to contract during lovemaking.

High heels have been a fashion item since the 1600s but over the past 50 years they have been blamed for a variety of health problems ranging from bunions, stress fractures and knee pain to an increased risk of arthritis.

Source: Daily Mail