Why body shape matters

The size of your belly can be an important sign of how healthy you are, especially if you're of south Asian origin.







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We all store spare body fat under the skin, and also around the vital organs in our abdomen. Some people tend to carry excess weight around their belly, making them an ‘apple’ shape, and others store weight around their thighs and bottom, making them a ‘pear’ shape.

Being apple-shaped is worse for your health than being pear-shaped. Having a large amount of fat around your belly makes you more likely to develop heart problems, diabetes and high blood pressure. This risk seems to be*higher in people from south Asian communities.







The term 'south Asian' here refers to anyone of Indian, Bangladeshi, Pakistani or Sri Lankan origin. Each of these cultures has its own unique culture and history, but they all share some common health issues.*



"Research shows that fat around the belly of a south Asian person is more risky than the same amount of fat in a white person, putting them at increased risk of heart disease and diabetes," says Dr Justin Zaman of the South Asian Health Foundation and cardiologist at University College London Hospitals.

"This means that south Asian people are more likely*to develop*diabetes than white people. Putting on fat around the belly is risky, but we don't know why."

If you are of south Asian origin and have extra weight around your belly, it’s worth thinking about how you can lose that weight to reduce risks to your health.

How healthy is your weight?

To get an idea of how healthy your weight is, find out:*

• your body mass index (BMI), and**
• your waist measurement

BMI
BMI is a measure of how healthy your weight is for your height and gender. You can find out yours by using*the healthy weight calculator. Anyone with a*BMI over 25 is considered to be*overweight. However, the World Health Organization acknowledges that this can vary between different*populations. The point at which BMI puts someone at risk of health problems varies from 22 to 25 for different Asian populations.*

If you are concerned about your weight and would like advice, talk to your doctor.

Waist measurement
To find your waist, feel for your hip bone on one side of your body. Move upwards until you can feel the bones of your bottom rib. Halfway between is your waist. For most people this is where their tummy button is. Use a mirror the first time to see what you’re doing, and to make it easier to measure.

Cathy Moulton, a care adviser*at Diabetes UK, says: “A healthy waist size for all women is 80cm (31.5in) or less. For South Asian men it’s 90cm (35in) or less, and for other men it's 94cm (37in) or less.”

What you can do

Anyone carrying excess weight, anywhere on the body, would find health benefits from losing that weight. It's particularly important that you change your diet (see 10 tips for a healthy*diet) and do 30 minutes of physical activity on at least five days of the week (find out more about getting fit).

This will improve your health, reduce your risk of heart disease, diabetes and stroke,*and increase your life expectancy.

Physical activity*can improve the health of anyone who is overweight, and it's not just a matter of burning calories. Your heart,*lungs and circulation will benefit, too.

Get*tips on losing weight.





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More...

In spite of your body shape, losing weight brings with it great rewards. And that’s why it makes sense to eat a sensible diet, avoid poor food choices and engage in consistent exercise that fits your personality. So the next step is to figure out what kind of body shape you have. It may not be eagerly apparent whether you’re a pear or apple shape but the tale of the tape will explain everything.
If you lose weight then only your body shape will change.

Does your body shape really matter that much? According to many doctors, the answer is that it does. In fact, some in the medical community are convinced that your waistline is a reflection of your health. Typically, when you go to a fitness trainer or the doctor they’ll often take a body mass index (BMI) measurement as a way of deciding if you’re at a healthy weight. The problem is, your BMI doesn’t tell the whole story.

Sure, a BMI may show that you’re carrying extra fat, but what really seems to count is where your body stores that fat. Let me explain. Body fat especially in areas such as the arms and thighs may not be very pretty; it may not be nearly as much of a health concern as lots of spare fat stored around the abdomen. You see having a large amount of tummy fat makes you more likely to develop Type 2 Diabetes and heart disease.

Have you ever noticed that some people are shaped more like pears while others are shaped like apples? Obviously people with pear shape bodies tend to store most of it on their bottom and thighs thus creating a pear shape. While people with apple shapes tend to carry most of their weight around the abdomen. Though neither shape is desirable to most, the pear shape tends to be the healthier of the two. And this is why your body shape matters.

But regardless of your shape, losing weight brings with it great rewards. And that’s why it makes sense to eat a sensible diet, avoid poor food choices and engage in consistent exercise that fits your personality. So the next step you’ll want to do is to determine your BMI and figure out what kind of body shape you have. It may not be readily apparent whether you’re a pear or apple shape but the tale of the tape will explain everything. What follows are instructions on how to determine your body shape.

Measure your waist

To find your proper waist measurment, feel for your hip bone on one side of your body. Move upwards until you can feel the bones of your bottom rib. Halfway between is your waist. For most people this is where their belly button is. It may help to use a mirror when doing this.

For women:
Ideal: less than 80cm (32”).
High: 80cm to 88cm (32” to 35”).
Very high: more than 88cm (35”).

For men:
Ideal: less than 94cm (37”).
High: 94cm to 102cm (37” to 40”).
Very high: more than 102cm (40”).

How to calculate your waist-to-hip ratio

Figuring out the risk to your health is simple. Using a tape measure:

* Measure your hips
* Measure your waist
* Divide the waist number by the hip number

A ratio of 1.0 or more in men or 0.85 or more in women indicates that you are carrying too much weight around your middle. This puts you at increased risk of diseases that are linked to obsesity, such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease.