Are you an apple or a pear? If your body is shaped more like an apple, that is, if you are heavy around your mid-section, it means you store excess fat around your abdomen. If your shape is pear-like, you carry your extra fat around your hips, butt and thighs. Both apples and pears tend to store fat more readily than other body types. The way you wear your fat not only determines your body type and shape, but can also increase your risk of developing chronic health problems as you age. If you know your type, you can take steps to lower that risk, if necessary.
Apple Shape
If your fat collects around your waist and your waistline measure more than 35 inches if you are a woman, or more than 40 inches if you are a man, you may be at higher risk of developing chronic diseases, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and some types of cancer than those with smaller waists.
The type of fat that collects in and around your waist and organs, particularly your liver, is most dangerous to your health, is called visceral fat. This type of fat is involved in the inflammation and blood sugar disorders that are precursors to these diseases. A study published in 2008 by the "American Journal of Epidemiology" found that death rates from all causes were higher in both and men and women with larger waist sizes.
Pear Shape
People with pear-shaped bodies have a lower risk of developing the types of diseases that affect apple shapes because the fat distributed on the lower part of the body is not visceral fat but subcutaneous fat.
Subcutaneous fat is the type of fat your body stores for use at a later date. It is the type of fat that easily accumulates over time if you eat too much or don't get enough exercise. It is also a stubborn type of fat that is difficult to lose. Apples also carry subcutaneous fat, but less of it than pears.
Measuring Up
Your waist-to-hip (WHT) ratio can help you determine your body type, and where you store fat. To figure out your WTH ratio, stand in a relaxed position and measure your waist at its narrowest point. Jot down that number. Measure your hips around their widest part. Jot that number down, too. Divide your waist measurement by your hip measurement and what you get is your WTH ratio. More than 0.8 in a woman or 0.95 indicates an apple shape; a lower ratio would make you a pear.
Perhaps you are not shaped like an apple or a pear, but more like a green bean. If you are long and lean, you don't carry as much body fat as an apple or a pear, and you may not gain weight as easily.
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