London, July 21 (IANS) Men with a long ring finger could be three times more likely to develop prostate cancer.
Doctors found that the risk increases if the ring finger on the right hand is significantly longer than the index finger next to the thumb. But men whose ring fingers are only slightly longer, or are about the same length, are much less likely to get the disease, reports the Daily Mail.
The findings open up the possibility of screening men with longer fingers at an early age for signs of cancer.
In the study, blood tests showed that men with longer ring fingers on their right hand had higher levels of prostate specific antigen (PSA).
This chemical is sometimes found in high levels in blood when cancer is present.
The right hand was studied because the difference between the length of its ring finger and index finger is often greater than on the left, as it is more sensitive to hormonal changes in the womb.
The results are the latest in a long line of studies linking finger length to men’s health, most of which highlight the benefits of a long ring finger.
These include reduced risk of heart disease, a better chance of exam success and increased fertility.
The key to these findings is thought to be the level of exposure to the hormone testosterone in the womb.
Higher levels also make it more likely that a boy will have a slightly longer ring finger on their right hand. Testosterone is also known to stimulate prostate tumour development.
In the latest study, doctors at the Gachon University Gil Hospital, in Incheon, South Korea, studied 366 men over the age of 40 who went to a hospital clinic complaining of problems urinating, a symptom which could be a warning sign of cancer.
They had their fingers measured from the crease where the finger joins the hand to the tip.
Blood tests showed that men with much longer ring fingers had almost double the levels of PSA found in the blood of those with shorter fingers.
Three times as many of these men went on to be diagnosed with prostate cancer.
