Hi-heeled shoes with chunky heels are better for your feet than stiletto heels but just as bad for your knees, according to a recent study. Narrow-heeled shoes increase varus torque, which compresses the middle of the knee joint-a known site for arthritis-by 26%, compared to walking barefoot, but wide-heeled shoes were almost as bad at 22%.

The researchers were the first to link stiletto high heels and knee osteo-arthritis, a painful degenerative joint disease that destroys cartilage surroundings the knee (see ALF Vol. XV11, NO.4:8). This time, they studied 20 women who completed a 10-meter walk using both kinds of shoes and in bare feet. lead researcher Dr. Casey Kerringan said that wider heeled shoes feel more comfortable and stable but heels are bad, whether thin or wide.

Kerringan DC, Lelas JL et al. Women's shoes and knee osteo-arthritis. The Lancet 2001; 357(9262):1097-8.

Women who regularly use permanent hair dyes have an increased risk for bladder cancer. A U.S. study examined 1,514, bladder cancer patients. After adjusting for cigarette smoking, a major risk for bladder cancer, the risk triples after 15 years. Hair dressers had a 50% increase in risk of bladder cancer, with those in these jobs for 10 years or more having 5 x the normal risk

The dyes contain chemicals called arylamines, shown in animal studies to cause cancer. In humans, the dyes are absorbed through the scalp and skin, pass through the bladder and are expelled through urine. Semi-permanent and temporary rinses were not implicated and could be considered an alternative, since they may contain much lower concentrations of arylamines.

The study is relevant to both women and men as consumers and hair dressers; it is estimated that in Europe, North America and Japan over 40 percent use some type of hair dye. Permanent dyes account for about one-quarter of global use. The study, funded by the National Cancer Institute, was criticized by the Cosmetic, Toiletry and Fragrance Association, a U.S. trade association for the personal care products industry.

Gago-Dominguez M, Castelao JE. Use of permanent hair dyes and bladder cancer risk. International Journal of Cancer 200;91:575-579.