Waist-hip ratio or Waist-to-hip ratio (WHR)

Waist-hip ratio or Waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) is the ratio of the circumference of the waist to that of the hips. It measures the proportion by which fat is distributed around the torso. The concept and significance of WHR was first theorized by evolutionary psychologist Dr. Devendra Singh at the University of Texas at Austin in 1993. [1][2]

Health

Men generally have much less pronounced hips, relative to waist size.
A WHR of 0.7 for women and 0.9 for men have been shown to correlate strongly with general health and fertility. Women within the 0.7 range have optimal levels of estrogen and are less susceptible to major diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disorders and ovarian cancers.[3] Men with WHRs around 0.9, similarly, have been shown to be more healthy and fertile with less prostate cancer and testicular cancer.[4]

WHR is a better measure of assessing a person’s risk of heart attack than body mass index (BMI)[5]. If obesity is redefined using WHR instead of BMI, the proportion of people categorized as at risk of heart attack worldwide increases threefold.[6]

Other studies have not found a correlation between WHR and increased cardiovascular risk or body fat distribution.[7][8][9]

Attractiveness
Scientists have discovered that the waist-hip ratio (WHR) is a significant factor in judging female attractiveness. Women with a 0.7 WHR (waist circumference that is 70% of the hip circumference) are usually rated as more attractive by men from European cultures. Such diverse beauty icons as Marilyn Monroe, Sophia Loren, Kelly Brook, Alessandra Ambrosio and even the Venus de Milo all have ratios around 0.7, even though they have different weights. In other cultures, preferences vary,[10] ranging from 0.6 in China,[11] to 0.8 or 0.9 in parts of South America and Africa,[12][13][14] and divergent preferences based on ethnicity, rather than nationality, have also been noted.[15][16]

References:

1. ^ "Adaptive significance of female physical attractiveness: Role of waist-to-hip ratio." Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 65
2. ^ Buss, David [1994] (2003). The Evolution of Desire (hardcover), second (in English), New York: Basic Books, 56.
3. ^ "The Rules of Attraction in the Game of Love", The Rules of Attraction in the Game of Love
4. ^ "Men's preferences for women's profile waist-to-hip ratio in two societies.". Retrieved on 2007-09-01.
5. ^ American Journal of Clinical Nutrition August 12,2006
6. ^ Obesity and the risk of myocardial infarction in 27,000 participants from 52 countries: a case-control study. The Lancet, Nov. 5th 2005
7. ^ A comparative evaluation of waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio and body mass index as indicators of cardiovascular risk factors. The Canadian Heart Health Surveys.
8. ^ Waist measure and waist-to-hip ratio and identification of clinical conditions of cardiovascular risk: multicentric study in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients
9. ^ Superiority of skinfold measurements and waist over waist-to-hip ratio for determination of body fat distribution in a population-based cohort of Caucasian Dutch adults.
10. ^ Fisher, M.L.; Voracek M. (June 2006). "The shape of beauty: determinants of female physical attractiveness.". J Cosmet Dermatol 5 (2): 190-4. PMID 17173598. Retrieved on 2007-08-04.
11. ^ Dixson, B.J.; Dixson A.F., Li B., Anderson M.J. (January 2007). "Studies of human physique and sexual attractiveness: sexual preferences of men and women in China.". Am J Hum Biol 19 (1): 88-95. PMID 17160976. Retrieved on 2007-08-04.
12. ^ Marlowe, F.; Wetsman, A. (2001). "Preferred waist-to-hip ratio and ecology". Personality and Individual Differences 30 (3): 481-489. Retrieved on 2007-08-04.
13. ^ Marlowe, F.W.; Apicella, C.L. and Reed, D. (2005). "Men’s Preferences for Women’s Profile Waist-Hip-Ratio in Two Societies". Evolution and Human Behavior 26: 458-468. Retrieved on 2007-08-04.
14. ^ Dixson, B.J.; Dixson A.F., Morgan B., Anderson M.J. (June 2007). "Human physique and sexual attractiveness: sexual preferences of men and women in Bakossiland, Cameroon". Arch Sex Behav 36 (3): 369-75. PMID 17136587. Retrieved on 2007-08-04.
15. ^ Freedman, R.E.; Carter M.M., Sbrocco T., Gray JJ. (Aug. 2007). "Do men hold African-American and Caucasian women to different standards of beauty?". Eat Behav 8 (3): 319-33. PMID 17606230. Retrieved on 2007-08-04.
16. ^ Freedman, R.E.; Carter M.M., Sbrocco T., Gray J.J. (July 2004). "Ethnic differences in preferences for female weight and waist-to-hip ratio: a comparison of African-American and White American college and community samples". Eat Behav. 5 (3): 191-8. PMID 15135331. Retrieved on 2007-08-04.