Being fat is the biggest predictors of an unhappy demise when it comes to aging. It’s more though than just ‘fat’, it’s how the fat is distributed. One of the simplest ways to look at your risk is to check your waist-to-hip ratio (WTH).
A pear-shaped body is considered to have a healthier waist to hip ratio as it has a smaller waist and fat accumulation. An apple shape puts you at risk. So are you an apple or a pear?!
What is WHR?
The smaller the ratio, the better for your health.
WHR measures the ratio of your waist circumference to your hip circumference. It determines how much fat is stored on your waist, hips and butt. It’s a good an indicator or measure of health and your risk for developing a serious health condition.
WTH ratio vs body mass index (BMI)
BMI calculates the ratio of weight to height, but not all excess weight is the same when it comes to predicting your risk of disease. If you are carrying weight around the middle of your body or are “apple-shaped”, then you are at higher risk for heart disease, type 2 diabetes and early death than if you carry excess weight on your hips and thighs or have a “pear-shaped” body.
Your BMI might be within a normal range, but your risk for disease might still be high.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), a healthy WHR is:
- 0.9 or less in men
- 0.85 or less for women
Waist-to-hip ratio chart
| HEALTH RISK | WOMEN | MEN |
| LOW | 0.80 or lower | 0.95 or lower |
| MODERATE | 0.81–0.85 | 0.96–1.0 |
| HIGH | 0.86 or higher | 1.0 or higher |
How to calculate your waist-to-hip ratio
Stand up straight and breathe out. Use a tape measure and measure:
- Waist circumference: the distance around the smallest part of your waist which is the midpoint between the lower margin of your last palpable rib and the top of your iliac crest, or hip bone.
- Hip circumference: the distance around the largest part of your hips and the widest part of your butt.
- Divide your waist circumference by your hip circumference to get your WHR.
You can also use this calculator here.
Situations where WTH ratio won’t always predict risk
- You have put on excess muscle around your middle for some reason.
- You don’t measure the circumferences accurately, so make sure you correctly measure or get an expert to help.
- You are shorter than 5 feet tall as you won’t get an accurate measure.
- You have a BMI of 35 or higher.
