What is a Waist to Hip Ratio?

Waist-to-Hip Ratio (WHR) is the ratio of waist circumference to hip circumference, is an important indicator for determining central obesity, and is of great significance in evaluating women's attractiveness ^[1] .

Waist to hip ratio

Waist-to-Hip Ratio (WHR) Yes

When the WHR of men is greater than 0.9 and the WHR of women is greater than 0.8, central obesity can be diagnosed. But its cut-off value varies with age, gender, and race.

The waist-to-hip ratio was an indicator of obesity in earlier studies. The smaller the ratio, the healthier it is. This is a better way to predict whether a person is obese and at risk of heart disease. It is 3 times more accurate than the commonly used method of measuring body mass index (weight divided by height squared). A large waist size indicates that the presence of fat in the abdomen is a sign of greater danger;

Waist hips prefer men

Waist-to-hip ratio of Venus 0.7

Studies have shown that sex hormones can affect the accumulation of fat. Testosterone, the male hormone, can increase the accumulation of fat in the abdomen and reduce the accumulation of fat in the hips and thighs. In contrast, estrogen, a female hormone, can inhibit the accumulation of fat in the abdomen and increase the accumulation of fat in the hips and thighs. Therefore, due to the action of different hormones, the physical characteristics of adult men and adult women in the waist, hips and thighs are completely opposite. Waist-to-Hip Ratio (WHR) is an easy-to-observe stable indicator that can reflect internal physiological processes.

The next step is to determine the relationship between waist-to-hip ratio and fertility. Dade's research proves that women with smaller waist-to-hip ratios develop earlier (DeRidder et al., 1990). His research determined the relationship between waist-to-hip ratio and fertility. In this study, women with larger waist-to-hip ratios were more difficult to conceive, and they were older than women with smaller waist-to-hip ratios when they gave birth to their first child. The waist-to-hip ratio can also be used to reflect overall health. For example, studies have shown that people with smaller waists and hips have a lower risk of diabetes, coronary heart disease, and stroke. Obviously, women who are in good health are also more suitable for pregnancy, childbirth, and caring for and raising their offspring.

Marilyn Monroe has a waist-to-hip ratio of 0.7

It must be pointed out that if waist-to-hip ratio is a valid indicator of physical and reproductive health, it is absolutely necessary for men to use this indicator to assess the attractiveness of future spouses. From an evolutionary perspective, the most important thing for men when choosing a mate is to successfully pass on their genes to their offspring. Therefore, men will choose the most fertile women as wives. Devendra Singh studied whether men take waist-to-hip ratio as an important measure of female attractiveness ^[1] .

Men will give priority to women's appearance when choosing a spouse for a short period of time, and have a stronger preference for women with low waist-hip ratio. After all, waist-to-hip ratio is an effective clue to predict female fertility.

In a series of cross-cultural studies, Singh presented male sketches of women with different waist-to-hip ratios. The waist-to-hip ratio of women in some sketches is 0.7, some are 0.8, and others are 0.9. The experimenter asked the subjects to draw circles on the pictures they considered most attractive. In all the samples selected (including Africa, Brazil, and Americans), men of different ages believed that women with a waist-hip ratio of 0.7 were the most attractive ^[2] .

Results of waist-to-hip ratio adaptation

Monica Bellucci's beautiful waistline

The energy required by men and women to reproduce offspring is completely different. Women need to provide energy for fetal development during the 9-month pregnancy. After the child is born, she needs to spend a lot of energy to breastfeed her child. For a woman to have a successful child and raise a child, she must store a lot of fat in her body. During pregnancy and breastfeeding, women consume almost all of the fat stored in their buttocks and thighs. There is ample evidence that the reproduction process can only begin when women store large amounts of fat in their bodies to ensure their ability to conceive, produce, and breastfeed. Obviously, the storage of male fat has nothing to do with the success of his offspring. In fact, if men and women store fat in the body in a similar way, this will reduce their ability to protect their spouses and children, so it is not conducive to breeding offspring. Men need to have developed muscles and strength. Singh noted that another role for women's hip and thigh fat is that it is a signal of fertility for men. These fats can be observed directly from the woman's front, back and sides, so it's a good sign. Women's attractiveness is often associated with the breast, but the chest does not contain the same information and cannot show women's fertility ^[1] .

Waist-to-hip ratio

Kelly Brook's exaggerated waist-to-hip ratio (2 photos)

A large number of studies have confirmed that men think that women with thin waists, fat buttocks, and plump thighs are more attractive, that is, those women with an hourglass figure are more attractive. This preference seems to have nothing to do with weight: even large ladies may be considered charming if they have thin waists, fat buttocks, and plump thighs.

There must be some biological advantage to such a general preference. A study published in the January 2008 issue of Elsevier's journal Evolution and Human Behaviour showed that men value evolution in the way they value waist-hip ratio. The fat stored in the hips and thighs contains omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (DHA). This unsaturated fatty acid is indispensable for fetal brain development. Women with small waist-hip ratio have omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in their blood Content is higher. Pregnant women need this fat to give birth to their babies. As girls enter puberty, fat accumulates preferentially in these areas, creating a difference in body shape between men and women. This hip and thigh fat is not used until late pregnancy, which may explain why it is difficult to streamline the thighs even when dieting.

Hourglass Shape

Providing nutrition to your baby's brain development explains the importance of hip and thigh obesity, what about a slim waist? It turned out that abdominal fat, which is often saturated fat, is bad news, and it has been linked to an increased risk of diabetes, obesity, and heart disease. Belly fat also seems to inhibit the enzymes used to synthesize DHA, so the more belly fat, the less DHA needed to provide nutrition to your baby's brain development.

William Lassek of the University of Pittsburgh and Steven Gaulin of the University of California studied the relationship between women's "waist-to-hip ratio" and the child's IQ. The sample included 16,000 women. After carefully excluding race, education, and family income, the data showed that: women with low waist-to-hip ratio (thin waist, fat buttocks, plump thighs) had their children tested on IQ The score will be higher in. According to the article, the "waist-to-hip ratio" of a woman reflects the content of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids in her body, and this fatty acid is very important for the fetal neurodevelopment ^[7] .