Body Composition Scale – Do You Know Your Waist To Hip Ratio?

Once upon a time it was thought that body mass index, also known as BMI, was the best predictor of cardiovascular disease risk. Now doctors know that a better predictor of future cardiac disease is a person’s waist to hip ratio. People fit into one of two categories of fat distribution known as the apple shape and the pear shape.

The person with an apple shape fat distribution pattern collects fat on the chest and abdomen. Cortisol is thought to play a role in creating the apple shape. More cortisol is usually found in apple-shaped people. Men with pot bellies are a classic example of the apple shape, and it is men who normally have fat distributed this way.

Women, on the other hand, usually have pear-shaped bodies. Fat distribution in a person with a pear shape is throughout the hips and thighs. While this fat distribution pattern is less of a cardiovascular risk factor, people with pear shapes also have more eating disorders than those with apple shapes.

The apple-shaped person likely has (or will have) metabolic issues. Fiber is a good solution to help with this. The recommended daily intake of fiber for apple-shaped people is 34 grams.

Pear-shaped people do best on low-fat, low-calorie eating plans. Although fat distributed through the hips and thighs has a lower risk of heart disease, the downside is that it is harder to lose weight and much easier to gain weight.

To measure waist to hip ratio you want to take your waist measurement in inches or centimeters. Next, divide your waist measurement by your hip measurement. Men should have a waist to hip ratio of 1. 0 or less. Women should have a ratio of 0. 8 or less.

Nobody wants to have insulin resistance, type II diabetes, cardiovascular diseases or sleep apnea. But, if your waist to hip ratio is not in line with recommendations, you could very likely end up with any or all of these diseases and others.

The consequences of those diseases have a very significant impact on quality of life. Let us take a look.

If you have spent a lifetime overworking your pancreas it is eventually going to stop functioning correctly. When a person is insulin resistant, the pancreas is pushed to release extra insulin because the cells cannot accept the glucose the way they are supposed to. In the end, you find yourself with a diagnosis of type II diabetes.

The consequences of type II diabetes happen all throughout the body. All of the extra sugar in the bloodstream damages the whole cardiovascular system. Kidney damage, blindness, nerve damage and sexual dysfunction are just a few of the commonly seen results of type II diabetes.

Individuals with type II diabetes are more likely than non-diabetic people to have a stroke or develop another type of cardiac disease. The consequences of a stroke can be catastrophic. Paralysis and other life-altering results can occur.

Heart attacks are responsible for killing part of the heart muscle. This is due to a lack of blood flow to a specific area of the heart during the attack.

It is easy to dismiss the facts that your waist to hip ratio is not that big of a deal. You could remain in denial until the day when you can no longer change the outcome and are living with the daily results of diabetes or stroke. Or, you can resist the denial and lower your body fat to within the guidelines. It is your choice. Make the right decision for yourself. You will be happy you did.

Learn more about your waist to hip ratio. Stop by HealthStatus.com where you can find an easy to use wasit to hip ratio calculator and many more interactive health tools.