People have long used fruit terms to describe their body shape. Because this is the easiest way to identify body types without using scientific terms that are not so easy to remember. You have often heard the terms pear-type body or apple-type body. But what do they mean?
What Is An Apple Or Pear Body Shape?
The apple shape is known in the scientific community as the android body and refers to the fact that fat is stored more in the midsection and less in the hips and thighs. People with the android body type have almost the same ratio of waist and hips.
The pear body shape, on the other hand, is known as gynoid and is characterized by more fat on the hips. In people with the gynoid body shape, the hips are wider than the waist.
The hourglass body type is considered ideal. In this body type, the shoulders and hips are symmetrical. At the same time, a thin waist is also among the features of the hourglass body type. As indicated by the name, the body resembles the shape of an hourglass.
What Are The Health Effects Of Body Types?
First of all, what kind of body shape you have cannot give you a clear idea about your health. In other words, we cannot speak with certainty that those with an apple body shape are healthy and those with a pear body shape are unhealthy. However, various studies show that certain body types can be associated with certain negative health outcomes
For example, in 2020, a report analyzing 72 research results concluded that people with more fat in the stomach area (apple body type) had a higher risk of death than people with a pear-shaped body.
A 2019 study of 2,683 postmenopausal women found that women with an apple body shape were three times more likely to develop heart disease than women with a pear body shape. So, interestingly, having a pear-type shape seemed to have a protective effect against heart disease.
The study found that those with an apple body shape were more prone to heart disease and type 2 diabetes, regardless of body mass index. The small study here, which examined 49 men with the same BMI, body weight, and body fat percentage, found that men with an apple-shaped body, where fat is stored in the middle or even higher, have a low endothelial function, which leads to poor blood flow in the body. These men also had higher insulin resistance, blood lipid levels, and heart rate. This is a sign of worsening blood and metabolic health.
Using Fruit Metaphors Is Not Safe
While it is easy to use fruit metaphors to describe body types, it is not ideal. Because although the above research links the apple body type to chronic diseases, this is not always the case. Someone with more fat in the stomach area may be perfectly healthy, while people with a different body type may not be. Moreover, according to the above research, those with a pear body shape may think they are healthy, ignore many symptoms, and neglect to seek the medical support they need. However, positioning one body shape as superior to another can make people with other body shapes vulnerable to judgment and stigmatization. It is therefore not meaningful to consider the health or unhealthiness of the body based on the shape of the fruit.
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