Three sinister warning signs of silent killer that can show up in your feet

When it comes to unusual feelings in the body they can often be warning signs which aren't worth ignoring.

Sometimes your body really is trying to tell you that everything isn't okie dokie any more and it's time to go and see a doctor.

The signs can come from all over the place, but today we're going to make like Quentin Tarantino and focus on the feet.

We can learn a lot about our health from our feet if we know what to look out for and there's three things that you should really be aware of.

"My feet have been aching a lot, maybe I should see someone about that." (Getty Stock Photo)

The first thing to be on the lookout for is an ache in your feet that you really cannot explain, so even if you've been putting them up your feet feel like you've just trudged for 20 miles upon the stoniest ground.

Aches and pains can come and go but you usually know why they're in place, so when it comes down to it an unexplained ache in your feet is warning sign numero uno.

The second thing to watch out for is particularly unpleasant and it's that you'd have ulcers on your feet which don't seem to properly heal.

And third and for most, you might see the bits of keratin poking out of your feet deteriorating before your very eyes.

What this means is your toenails becoming brittle and any hair you might have on your feet falling off.

You can learn a lot about someone's health by their feet. (Getty Stock Photo)

If you're getting these warning signs then it could be an indication of a 'silent killer' which can end lives without being very obvious about it - cholesterol.

If you've got high cholesterol it can lead to you developing something known as peripheral arterial disease (PAD).

According to the NHS, it's caused by the build up of fatty deposits of cholesterol and other substances in your leg arteries.

This makes your arteries narrower and means that less blood can flow to your legs.

Trying to combat this silent killer is difficult but a healthy diet, trying to lose weight if you're overweight and keeping the alcohol consumption down is the ticket to stopping it becoming worse.

The best things you can do are to get regular exercise and avoid smoking as these are the main things which make your cholesterol worse.

If you're trying to exercise and are feeling a recurring pain in your legs then that ought to be the signal that it's time to see a doctor about what's happening.

Topics: Health, NHS

Joe Harker

Joe graduated from the University of Salford with a degree in Journalism and worked for Reach before joining the LADbible Group. When not writing he enjoys the nerdier things in life like painting wargaming miniatures and chatting with other nerds on the internet. He's also spent a few years coaching fencing. Contact him via [email protected]

@MrJoeHarker