Women's and men's knees are not biologically different, so the researchers wanted to find out why twice as many women as men develop osteoarthritis in the joint.

　　女性和男性的膝蓋在生理上并沒有什么不同，所以研究者們想要知道為什么患關節炎的女性人數是男性的兩倍。

　　Some researchers have speculated that high-heeled shoes may be to blame.

　　有研究者推測高跟鞋可能是罪魁禍首。

　　The women in the study were quizzed on details of their height and weight when they left school, between 36 and 40 and between 51 and 55.

　　參加該項研究的婦女們被詳細詢問了她們在畢業時、30到40歲之間，51到55歲之間的身高和體重。

　　They were asked about injuries, their jobs, smoking and use of contraceptive hormones.

　　研究人員還詢問她們的受傷、工作、吸煙和使用避孕激素的情況。

　　However, while many of these factors were linked to an increased risk over the years, tottering around in high heels for years was not.

　　然而，多年來，許多因素都增加了患關節炎的危險，但是常年穿著高跟鞋走路不是原因之一。

　　The researchers wrote: "Most of the women had been exposed to high heeled shoes over the years --nevertheless, a consistent finding was a reduced risk of osteoarthritis of the knee."

　　研究者們寫到：“大多數婦女很多年來一直穿高跟鞋，然而可靠的發現表明他們患膝蓋關節炎的危險反而降低了。”

　　There was an even more pronounced link between regular dancing in three-inch heels and a reduced risk of knee problems.

　　研究者們甚至發現經常穿三英寸高的高跟鞋跳舞明顯和降低膝蓋得病的危險有關。

　　The researchers described this finding as "surprising", but said that they would not expect a larger-scale study to overturn their findings.

　　研究者們稱這一發現是“令人驚訝的”，但是他們說不指望有大規模的研究會推翻他們的發現。