Our feet are the most overworked parts of the human body and yet, it seems we do not appreciate them enough. When you think about the fact that your feet carry the entire load of your body and take upon themselves even much more weight and stress when you are running, you may want to give them some more deserved attention and appreciation. On average a person walks about 8,000-10,000 steps a day, so over a lifetime, you will have walked a distance even to four times the circumference of Earth which is 24,901 miles.
So, let’s take the time to look closer at our feet and find out some fun facts and interesting information about them:
- The feet hold 25% of the bones of the human body. They are made of 26 bones per foot, which makes a total of 52 bones for both feet. This means that if the bones of your feet are misaligned your entire body will be affected as well. Human bones grow and finally harden completely at the age of 21.
- Shoes have been worn for ages. According to research done on Neanderthal foot bones from 40,000 years ago, the toes were much thicker and stronger. This is due probably to the fact that they were used for gripping the ground when walking barefoot. The oldest shoe found in an Armenian cave and preserved has been dated back to 5,500 years ago. It is believed that the earliest “shoes” were primitive foot covers made of animal skin during the Ice Age.
- The big toe used to be for grabbing and gripping. It was used like thumb by our predecessors, and helped them cling to their mothers and get a better grip when climbing trees for food and safety before they began walking on two feet and started hunting and eating meat. Today, it is not uncommon for a person to receive a toe to thumb transplant due to an accident or other problem causing a missing thumb.
- Our heels have more sweat glands per square inch than any other part, and our feet produce about half of a pint of sweat per day! The sweat and warmth is an excellent harbor for all kinds of bacteria which feed on dead skin cells and causes the release of the dreaded foot odors. One disgusting fact in this regard is that there was actually an exhibition held in Dublin, Ireland in 2013 where a wide variety of cheeses made from samples from bacteria taken from feet, belly buttons and armpits. All we can say is – Yuck!
- This fact you may know from personal experience, but just in case you were not sure – feet are one of the body parts which are the most ticklish. The reason is that our feet have about 8,000 nerves, and a lot of nerve endings near the skin, which cause the ticklish effect.
- Feet are often considered “mirrors” for human health. They are one of the fist body pats affected by a number of health conditions and illnesses. Diabetics are especially prone to suffer from foot problems. The poor circulation as well as the nerve damage cause by diabetes often causes mild to serious ulcers on the toes and feet. This is a common ground for toe and foot amputations as the statistics show. In 2010, more than 73,000 foot and lower limb amputations were due to diabetes.
- Over time, average men and women foot sizes are increasing. Due to the growing epidemic of obesity and problems with extra weight of the western people, statistics show that our feet have been growing and have actually increased by 2 sizes in the UK and the US since the 1970’s. This is due to the fact that more and more weight has been put on our feet in modern times of fast food and unhealthy diets. This is why, you should measure your feet before buying a new pair of shoes because during your lifetime your feet will grow due to changes in weight, pregnancy, overuse, etc.
- Many glamorous female celebrities have big feet. Forget the petite Barbie-like feet when you think about sexy and feminine. Did you know that Audrey Hepburn wore a size 10,5 and Jackie Kennedy wore a 10? Uma Thurman and Oprah Winfrey are both size 11!
- Women are 4 times more prone to foot problems than men. This is attributed to high heels. High heels were first worn by Persian warriors. Then European men adapted the new look, which was followed by women in the 17th Since then, heels have been in style and are still worn, even though they can cause mild to serious foot discomfort and problems.
- Contrary to the popular belief, there is no actual correlation between foot and penis size. There have been 17 separate studies, involving over 15,000 men from around the world which have proven that there is no evidence of a correlation between male foot and penis size.
- There is a world record of most armpits and feet sniffed! This is another gross foot fact which we would like to share with you. A lady who tests Dr.Scholl products who worked in a laboratory in Ohio for 15 years was estimated to have sniffed more than 5,600 feet and much more armpits during her time there. So Mrs. Madeline Albrecht was awarded the Guinness World Record for most feet and armpits sniffed!
