British women ditch pear for apple shape

LONDON: Ladies, if you find that you’re having to let out your belt a notch or two, you’re not alone.

The figure of the average British woman is now more likely to resemble an apple than a pear, research shows.

In other words, she is round around the middle.

In contrast, the pear shapes, such as Kate Winslet, who once predominated, have well-defined waists but generous hips and bottoms.

The shift from pears to apples came to light in a series of health screenings carried out on thousands of British men and women.

Most of the female members of Nuffield Health’s gyms put through their paces had waistlines that were almost 2cm bigger than the 80cm limit recommended for good health.

And the average waist to hip ratio for the 24 025 women surveyed was 2cm.

Anything above 2cm suggests an apple-shaped figure, denoted by generous waist and slim hips. A waist measurement of smaller than 80 percent of the hip circumference is generally considered healthy, with the wasp-waisted ratio of 0.7 that was common in the 1950s termed ideal.

And not just for health – studies also show that men find these proportions to be the most appealing.

A spokesman for Nuffield Health said: “The data shows that the common assumption that UK women are predominately pear-shaped is no longer accurate.’”

The move from pears to apples affects more than the type of clothes a woman can squeeze into, with fat gathered around the stomach known to be particularly harmful to health.

Not only does it produce more dangerous chemicals, but it is also closer to the body’s vital organs than flab on the bottom, hips and thighs.

Research shows that carrying excess weight around the waist can raise a woman’s risk of a host of ills, including breast cancer, heart disease, liver problems and diabetes.

Her chances of starting a family may also suffer, with fat stored around the middle disrupting the normal rhythm of the ovaries, making it harder to conceive.

Nuffield Health’s Dr Davina Deniszczyc said: “While waist size may seem like a cosmetic issue, this isn’t about women fitting into their skinny jeans, rather it’s an important indicator of overall health and well-being, particularly when taken into account with other health measurements.” – Daily Mail