A television doctor has revealed that the size of your thighs could be one of the most significant predictors of how long you will live — and that the key factor is not fat but muscle.
Dr Amir Khan, best known for his appearances on ITV, shared the advice in a video on Instagram, telling followers that “thicker thighs really do save lives.” He warned that people with smaller thighs face a “significantly” higher risk of heart disease and premature death — a finding he backed with a major study published in the British Medical Journal in 2009, which followed thousands of people for over a decade.
“We’ve been told to focus on weight to make ourselves smaller, to lose inches, to get rid of fat,” Dr Amir said. “But what if one of the biggest predictors of your future health isn’t how much fat you’re carrying, it’s how much muscle you have?”
He was clear that larger thighs are not inherently protective in themselves — the crucial factor is the amount of muscle contained within them rather than overall size. Muscle mass in the thighs is linked to metabolic health, cardiovascular function and the body’s ability to manage blood sugar, making it a meaningful indicator of long-term wellbeing.
Dr Amir recommended specific exercises aimed at building thigh muscle as a way of increasing life expectancy, encouraging followers to focus on strength training rather than simply trying to reduce body size.
