Indicator of health, The WHR has been used as an indicator or measure of health

What is WHR ? (Like BMI)

The waist to hip ratio, according to scientific studies, is a very effective indicator about the state of physical health of a person. The persons who have an "apple shaped" body with more fat at the waist are more prone to health risks than people with "pear shaped" bodies or who have less fat around their waist and more around their hips. Also according to a concept coined by Evolutionary physicist Devendra Singh at the University of Texas in 1993, physical attractiveness is related to the waist to hip ratio, especially so in the case of women. A waist to hip ratio of 0.7 is said to be ideal for women. In the case of men, 0.95 is considered to be an ideal value.

With WHR ratio, you know: (wiki)

- Stress : The stress hormone cortisol is regulated by the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and has been associated with higher levels of abdominal fat and therefore a higher WHR

- Growth and development: In general, adults with growth hormone deficiencies also have increased WHRs.

- Sex characteristics : Males with congenital adrenal hyperplasia, determined by CYP21A2 mutations, have increased WHRs

- Fertility : A WHR of 0.9 for men and 0.7 for women has been shown to correlate strongly with general health and fertility.

- Cognitive ability : Using data from the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics

- Human genetics : Studies in twins have suggested that between 22% and 61% of variability in waist-to-hip ratio may be accounted for by genetic factors