Waist-to-hip ratio
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As a waist-hip ratio ( THV ), waist-hip index ( CTI ) or waist-to-hip ratio ( THQ ) ( English Waist-hip ratio or waist-to-hip ratio , WHR ), the ratio between the waist and Hip circumference indicated. In medicine, the waist-hip index is used to assess possible health risks, particularly cardiovascular diseases caused by obesity.
Evolutionary biology
The THV is a measure of the attractiveness of a woman in that - regardless of culture - women with a value of 0.7 and less are judged by men to be more attractive. This connection was underlined for the first time in 1993 by the psychologist Devendra Singh from the University of Austin in Texas , who used the photo models photographed in Playboy and especially the "Playmates of the Month" from 1955 to 1990 for his investigations and based on this questioned 700 men. In the meantime, these findings were u. a. supplemented by an examination of early English, Indian and Chinese literature, in which women consistently only slim waists, but not large waist circumferences.
In terms of evolutionary biology , this “hourglass silhouette” is an indication of a woman's fertility and health. This thesis is reinforced by the fact that girls develop their waistline or their chest and hip circumference when they enter puberty, which means that the THV decreases, while it increases again when they enter menopause .
cardiology
The waist-hip quotient indicates the ratio of waist to hip circumference. This can be calculated as follows: circumference of the waist / circumference of the hips; The waist is measured midway between the iliac crest and costal arch and the hips at the thickest point.
This ratio should be less than 1.0 for men and less than 0.85 for women.
The waist-hip quotient provides the answer to the question of where the adipose tissue deposits are. Abdominal overweight (recognizable by the silhouette, also characterized as an apple type ) means a much higher risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. For the cardiovascular risk, it is less the obesity than the fat distribution pattern that is decisive. Fat tissue deposits in the abdominal cavity and on the internal or visceral organs have a particularly disadvantageous effect . This inner abdominal fat tissue ( visceral fat ; see also abdominal circumference ) is very metabolically active because it is composed differently than the fat tissue on the buttocks , hips and thighs . It can release a particularly large number of fatty acids , which are converted into other fats in the liver . As the internal abdominal fat increases, so does the risk of secondary diseases . Diabetes and high blood pressure can be favored, and above all the blood lipids change unfavorably: The proportion of LDL cholesterol which is undesirable for health increases and at the same time the vascular protective and therefore health desired HDL cholesterol decreases. Under special conditions, this can lead to deposits on the inner walls of the arteries ( arteriosclerosis ). As a result, the vessels constrict and as a result the supply of the organs with nutrients and oxygen ( internal breathing ) is restricted.
Measuring the waist or waist circumference alone is now considered to be equally meaningful or even superior (see there).
sports medicine
In sports medicine , the quotient of the waist circumference and the hip circumference is also known as the hip-abdominal circumference (HBU; Waist-hip ratio WHR). The waist circumference is measured in the middle between the iliac crest and costal arch, parallel to the floor. The hip circumference is the largest measurement above the buttocks.
The DGSP specifies the following values for the HBU in the guideline for preventive medical examinations in sport :
| Women | Men | |
|---|---|---|
| Normal weight | <0.8 | <0.9 |
| Obesity | 0.8-0.84 | 0.9-0.99 |
| Obesity | > 0.84 | > 0.99 |
Individual evidence
- ↑ Waist-hip ratio (waist-hip index). In: pschyrembel.de. Verlag Walter de Gruyter , accessed on January 3, 2020 .
- ↑ Ayala Malakh-Pines: Falling in love: why we choose the lovers we choose. Retrieved on February 6, 2010 (English): "It turns out that men, from young adults to 85-year-olds find women with a low hip-to-waist-ratio more attractive."
- ↑ D. Singh, P. Renn, A. Singh: Did the perils of abdominal obesity affect depiction of feminine beauty in the sixteenth to eighteenth century British literature? Exploring the health and beauty link. In: Proceedings. Biological sciences / The Royal Society. Volume 274, number 1611, March 2007, pp. 891-894, doi : 10.1098 / rspb.2006.0239 , PMID 17251110 , PMC 2093974 (free full text).
- ↑ Appendix 3 to the S 1 guideline preventive medical examinations in sport (questionnaire clinical examination) . 2007/2013 (PDF).
