Have you recently paid attention to your toes?
We often inspect various parts of our body for any unusual signs, but the presence or absence of hair on our toes is not something most people think about.
If your toes are naturally hairless and you haven’t been shaving them, there might be more going on than you realize.
In a recent episode of the Diary Of A CEO podcast hosted by Steven Bartlett, a discussion on health revealed some surprising insights about our feet.
Dr. Annette Bosworth, commonly known as Dr. Boz, shared her expertise on different symptoms and their implications, along with advice on when to seek medical attention.
This conversation was part of a broader discussion that included topics such as nutrition, the keto diet, and the significance of skin tags.
So why do toes matter in this context?
Dr. Boz explained that it relates to insulin resistance.
“As my patients age, most of my 55-year-olds that have had high insulin, I will tell them, ‘Look at your toes. They’re supposed to have hair on them,’ but when your body has had that high insulin state for a couple of decades now, it will start to say, ‘We don’t send resources to a couple parts of the body anymore,'” she explained.
“The follicles in their toe are one of them. You will just stop growing hair on your toes, and then it’s an ascending problem with this where the toe starts, then it’s the ankles, then it’s up to the knees, and they don’t have hair anywhere on their lower extremities,” revealed Dr. Boz.
“It is a process that started from high insulin.”
Have you checked your toes yet?
According to Diabetes UK, insulin resistance differs from diabetes and is most prevalent during life phases such as puberty, pregnancy, and menopause.
If your pancreas cannot produce enough insulin to counter the resistance, it can elevate your risk of diabetes by preventing your body from maintaining healthy blood sugar levels.
Another physical sign to look out for is the development of skin tags.
Dr. Boz noted: “Skin tags are not moles. Moles, you can feel this bump on your skin, right? But a skin tag has a neck and like a little mushroom.”
The doctor expressed frustration with a common misconception: “It’s the most annoying thing when patients come and say, ‘Well, I just tried to cut them all off, but they kept bleeding,’ I’m like, ‘Do not cut them off,’ they’ll fall off when your insulin’s lower,” she insists.
“They’ll be found in armpits or places where their skin rubs,” she added.
“Once insulin starts to grow them, it’s like a crop. A crop of little baby cauliflowers hanging out in their armpits!”
Hairless toes and cauliflower armpits, got it!