Apple & Pear Shapes: How Your Body Shape Affects Heart Risk

Reduce your risk for heart risk. Find out how body shape affects potential for heart disease and other inflammatory illnesses.Does waist-to-hip ratio influence heart health?

A recent study examined 500,000 adults in England, Scotland and Wales. Participants were age 40 to 69 with an average age of 56. They were typically overweight but had no history of heart disease. After an average follow-up of seven years, 5,710 of those surveyed had heart attacks. Heart attacks were more common in those who were obese, including those with high BMI. Those with a wide waist or high waist-to-hip number were high risk.

Women with a large waist or high hip-to-waist ratio are at greater risk of diabetes and coronary artery disease.

If you were pear-shaped or apple-shaped in your youth, it may get worse as you age. If it worsens, it’s time to intervene and improve your health to reduce heart attack and inflammatory illness risk. It’s very easy to gain belly fat as you enter perimenopause. 

Of course, being too thin is bad for overall health. Women need to feel strong and have functional health. That requires muscle mass.

Listen as Dr. Jennifer Haythe joins Dr. Pamela Peeke to discuss how apple and pear shapes impact your heart health.


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