The waist-to-hip ratio is a measure of the relationship between waist and hip circumference, with a ratio of 0.7 for women and 0.9 for men indicating better health and fertility. It is also linked to attractiveness and may be a better predictor of health risks than body mass index. People with an “apple” shape are more prone to health risks than those with a “pear” shape, and infants born to women with a low waist-to-hip ratio may develop into smarter babies.
Waist-to-hip ratio is an expression of the relationship between someone’s waist circumference and the circumference of their hips. It is obtained by dividing the waist measurement by the hip measurement. Numerous studies on this ratio have been conducted to determine whether or not it can be used as an accurate measurement of someone’s overall health and also to research the influence of it on the standard of attractiveness.
What has been found about waist-to-hip ratio is that women with a ratio of about 0.7 and men with a ratio of about 0.9 tend to be more fertile and generally healthier as well. The researchers also found that these relationships tend to crop up again and again in perceptions of beauty. Women of a wide range of weights and sizes are consistently seen as attractive when they have a waist-to-hip ratio of 0.7, for example, regardless of their cultural backgrounds.
In addition to being a potential measure of attractiveness, ratio may also have some bearing on health. Research has shown that people who carry more weight overhead tend to be prone to health risks, especially cardiovascular disease. People with this figure type are sometimes said to be “apples,” as opposed to “pears,” figures with more weight on the hips. Pears tend to be healthier overall than apples, regardless of their weight.
Some people feel that waist-to-hip ratio should be used in an assessment of overall health and that it may be a better predictor than body mass index because the ratio looks at how weight is distributed across the body. Certainly people with apple figures have more cause for concern, and their doctors can recommend various measures to prevent the onset of potentially dangerous conditions later in life.
In addition to being a potential measure of health and a sign of beauty, the ratio of the waist to the hips can also play a role in intelligence. Infants born to women with a low waist-to-hip ratio, indicating a pear shape, appear to develop into smarter babies. Although intelligence measurements are often erroneous and difficult to compare, some medical professionals have suggested that this evidence indicates that the fetal brain develops more fully in women who carry their weight on their hips, perhaps because stored fat has beneficial compounds that stimulate brain development.
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