Where you carry weight may be as important as how much weight you carry. Research shows that carrying fat around the middle, or having an apple-shaped physique, increases the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, and diabetes. Carrying fat in the hips and thighs, or having a pear shape, is not as harmful to your health.
Waist-hip ratio Calculator
The waist-hip-ratio calculates the relation between hip and waist circumference and tells you if you are rather an "apple" or "pear" type
The apple type:
The apple type:
The apple type has normal shoulders and gains weight in the stomach region.
The Pear type:
The pear type has narrow shoulders and is relatively thin around the chest.
The waist is normal. The pear type gains weight at the waist and upper thighs.
The pear type is found more often by women and the apple type by men. An obese apple type has a larger risk of getting a heart attack, whereas the pear type is less likely to get heart or circulatory diseases.
Fat predominantly distributed around the waist is also a risk factor for health complications such as cardiovascular disease and type II diabetes. Fat predominantly deposited around the hips and buttocks doesn't have this same risk.
Being overweight or underweight can affect your health
If you are overweight (BMI over 25), you may develop:
Cardiovascular (heart and blood circulation) disease
Gall bladder disease
High blood pressure (hypertension)
Non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus
Osteoarthritis-this is induced by the excess weight of obesity and can be a major problem. If inadequately managed it can be a barrier to adequate weight loss.
Certain types of cancer, i.e. breast, colon, endometrium and prostate.
Social implications that is often neglected.
If you are underweight
If you are underweight (BMI less than 20), you may develop:
