Asics footwear has developed a new running shoe that accommodates changes in women’s arches across the menstrual cycle. According to the Daily Mail, new research shows that changes in levels of estrogen affect flexibility and the height of the foot’s arch. When estrogen is high, and a woman is at her most fertile, the arch drops. Later in the month, when she is menstruating, levels of the hormone are low and the arch is raised.
So the athletic shoe manufacturer has created a new model of running shoe with with three layers of cushioning below the arch. Closest to the foot is a layer of foam, followed by an air-filled gap and a plastic block. When the woman’s arch is low, the foam is compressed into the gap and when her arch is high the foam fills out. This supposedly assures adequate support throughout the menstrual cycle.
Neither the Daily Mail article nor Asics clarify what causes men’s arches to fluctuate; a quick search-and-surf through Asics website shows the Space Trusstic System® is available in both women’s and men’s models of shoes.
[via Glad Rags]
