Many conditions associated with excess
weight, such as high blood pressure,
abnormal levels of blood fats, coronary
artery disease, stroke, diabetes and
certain types of cancer, are influenced
by the location of body fat.
Fat distribution can be described as
apple-shaped or pear-shaped. If you
carry most of your fat around your waist
or upper body, you’re referred to as
apple-shaped. If most of your fat is
around your hips and thighs or lower
body, you’re pear-shaped.
In general, when it comes to your health,
it’s better to have a pear shape than an
apple shape. If you have an apple shape,
you carry fat in and around your
abdominal organs. Fat in and around
your abdomen increases your risk of
developing disease. If you have a pear
shape, your risks aren’t as high.
To determine whether you’re carrying
too much weight around your middle,
measure your waist. Find the highest
point on each hipbone and measure
around your body just above those
points. A measurement exceeding 40
inches in men or 35 inches in women
indicates an apple shape and increased
health risks.
Although these cutoffs of 40 and 35
inches are useful guides, there’s nothing
magic about them. It’s enough to know
that the bigger the waistline, the greater
your health risks.
