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FEATURED BOOKS ON REDUCING WAIST SIZE FROM BARNES & NOBLE.COM:
Waist to hip ratio
| A measure that assists in evaluating the distribution of fat in the body and risk of developing health problems. The waist to hip ratio is calculated by measuring the circumference of the waist and hip and then dividing the waist measurement by the hip measurement. Circumference is the size of something as given by the distance around it.
The waist to hip ratio is important in assessing health risk in overweight people because it is not only being overweight but how and where the weight is distributed that poses a health risk. If one is overweight and carries more weight around the waist, the person’s body is classified as apple-shaped. If one is overweight and carries more weight around the hips, the person’s body is classified as pear-shaped. In general, those with more weight around the waist are at increased risk for many diseases than those with more weight around the hips. Such diseases include heart disease, high blood pressure, cancer, and diabetes mellitus. |
Cancer is a group of diseases in which symptoms are due to an abnormal and excessive growth of cells in one of the body organs or tissues. Diabetes mellitus is a complex, long-term disorder in which the body is not able to effectively use a natural chemical called insulin. Insulin's main job is to quickly absorb glucose (a type of sugar) from the blood into cells for their energy needs and into the fat and liver (a large organ that performs many chemical tasks) cells for storage.
People who are apple-shaped are more likely to have high levels of LDL cholesterol. Cholesterol is a waxy, fatty substance found only in animal tissues. LDL stands for low-density lipoprotein. LDL is called the "bad cholesterol" because, together with other substances it can form plaques (hard, thick deposits) in the walls of arteries, leading to blockages. Arteries are blood vessels that pump blood away from the heart.
It is important to note that there are some conditions, such as sleep apnea and osteoarthritis that are more likely to occur in overweight people, regardless of how the fat is distributed. Sleep apnea is a disorder in which the person does not breathe for periods of time while sleeping. Osteoarthritis is a disease of the joints that is made worse by stress. A joint is a place where two bones contact each other.
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