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Do you have an apple-shaped body or a pear-shaped body? Most people store body fat in two prominent ways - around the middle part of their body (apple shape) and around their hips (pear shape). According to health professionals, having an apple shape (extra weight more concentrated around the stomach) is riskier for your health than having a pear shape (extra weight around hips or thighs). Because body shape and health risk correlate, you are at greater risk of lifestyle related diseases (heart disease etc) if you are an apple shape rather than a pear shape.
The waist-hip ratio is a guide of the proportion of body fat stored around your waist & hip. Thus, your waist circumference is also an indicator for your health risk. You may have increased risk if you are :
| Waist Circumference |
| Men |
> 90cm |
| Women |
> 80cm |
How to measure:
1. For men, measure your waist at the navel.
For women, measure midway between the bottom of the ribs and top of the hip bone.
2. For men, measure hips at the tip of your hip bone.
For women, widest point between your hips & buttocks.
3. Divide your waist size by your hip size to get your waist-hip ratio.
Or, you can use our Waist-Hip Ratio Calculator:
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