Women like to have a good look on a first date. High heels are one of the things helping them. However, how much are they harmful for our body?

High heals appeared to be the reason for osteoarthritis, The Daily Mail reports. A new research showed three-inch heels causes changes to gait similar to those seen in ageing and arthritic knees. It also explains osteoarthritis why is twice as common in women as men, The Daily Mail reports.

The Californian researchers explain: ''While walking barefoot, women and men have similar knee biomechanics. Gender differences in footwear, specifically high-heeled shoes, can cause osteoarthritis among women''. Osteoarthritis is a disease, which causes a modification of the joints, pain and mobility difficulty. Currently, it affects more than eight million Britons.

The Stanford University researchers studied the gait of 14 women as they walked in different types of shoes. It turned out, the higher the heels were, the more their gait, including the movement of their knees, changed. And being overweight may make things even worse. This means, high heels, especially in combination with additional weight, may contribute to increased osteoarthritis risk in women.

Other research has shown that when a woman slips on a pair of heels, it takes, on average, just over an hour for her feet to start to hurt.

Experts warn that the prolonged wearing of high heels can also trigger stress fractures and trapped nerves.

 But high heels have on plus, however:  men are more likely to help a woman wearing heels than one in flats.