Are You an Apple or a Pear?
What I mean is are you shaped like an apple or a pear?
Do you have a round belly (apple) which is more common in men, or do you carry your weight around your hips and thighs (pear), which you see more in women, or a combination of the the two?
Long term studies have shown that “abdominal obesity” is strongly associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease and death. (1,2)
Two ways to measure abdominal obesity are by measuring waist circumference, and also waist-to-hip ratio. Following are some of the health risk guidelines from different health organizations (3):
| Organization | Measurement | Definition of Abdominal Obesity |
|---|---|---|
| American Heart Association National Heart Lung and Blood Institute | Waist Circumference | Women: >35 inches Men: > 40 inches |
| International Diabetes Federation | Waist Circumference | Women: > 31.5 inches Men: >35.5 inches |
| World Health Organization | Waist-to-Hip Ratio | Women: >0.85 Men: >0.9 |
According to the Harvard School of Public Health (3), even if you are not overweight having a large waist may mean you have a higher risk of health problems than someone with a trim waist.
You can measure your waist and hips with a cloth tape or a MyoTape, and then calculate your hip-to-waist ratio to find out where you are at.
But I have a better idea!
When you are get a scan done with the Fit3D, your waist measurement as well as your hip-to-waist measurement is automatically recorded and the data saved to your record.
Here are some screen shots of what those charts, as well as your full measurement chart will look like:
The Fit3D scanner is not just about appearance, but an important tool in assessing health risk. We have been rolling the Fit3D out on a limited basis until we are at full staffing again, but if you just can’t wait, let a coach know and we will do our best to schedule you in.
Thanks for your patience, and see you on the scanner soon!
Dean
1. Ohlson LO, Larsson B, Svardsudd K, et al. The influence of body fat distribution on the incidence of diabetes mellitus. 13.5 years of follow-up of the participants in the study of men born in 1913. Diabetes. 1985;34:1055-8.
2. Larsson B, Svardsudd K, Welin L, Wilhelmsen L, Bjorntorp P, Tibblin G. Abdominal adipose tissue distribution, obesity, and risk of cardiovascular disease and death: 13 year follow up of participants in the study of men born in 1913. Br Med J (Clin Res Ed). 1984;288:1401-4.
3. “Waist Size Matters” http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/obesity-prevention-source/obesity-definition/abdominal-obesity/
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