# Doper Waist-hip ratio **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 29, 2010, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-waist-hip-ratio/562254 "2010-11-29T03:48:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![rhubarbarin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eb9ed0/32.png) [@rhubarbarin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhubarbarin)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2010, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-waist-hip-ratio/562254/1 "2010-11-29T03:48:55Z")
[Just](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=586762) [because](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=586815). Waist to hip ratio is just that - most common way to calculate it is from taking the (relaxed) measurement of the narrowest part of your waist, and the widest part of your hips/buttocks, and dividing the first by the second. It’s been pretty well-established that men and women with an ‘ideal’ WHR (.9 and .7, respectively) seem to enjoy better-than-average general health and fertility. Starting at a WHR of 1 for men, and .85 for women, indicating more intra-abdominal fat deposits, puts you at higher risk of some health conditions. Someone who puts on fat around their waist and upper body is known as an ‘apple’ shape (most men), someone who carries their fat on their lower body is a ‘pear’. [Wiki](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waist-hip_ratio). [Calculator](http://www.healthcalculators.org/calculators/waist_hip.asp) (you must know your measurements). What’s yours? And general discussion. Is yours a good measure of your health? Does it correlate at all with your BMI (ie higher weight, higher WHR)? What about all the speculation on it’s role in women’s sexual attractiveness? ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2010, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-waist-hip-ratio/562254/2 "2010-11-29T04:51:59Z")
\*Is yours a good measure of your health? \* Well, I dunno. I am generally healthy and have been all my life, so I’m not sure how to answer that. _Does it correlate at all with your BMI (ie higher weight, higher WHR)?_ It seems to. I have been losing weight and inches in my waist also. - What about all the speculation on it’s role in women’s sexual attractiveness?\* Apparently we are hard-wired to consider a small waist desirable. I remember reading about a study where silhouettes were shown to people and the attractiveness of the silhouette was graded. The smaller the female waist, the higher the attractiveness, even waists that were obviously unnaturally small. Because of that, I think it does play a part in a woman’s attractiveness. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2010, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-waist-hip-ratio/562254/3 "2010-11-29T05:10:01Z")
What’s yours? .71 And general discussion. Is yours a good measure of your health? Probably? Does it correlate at all with your BMI (ie higher weight, higher WHR)? Nope. My BMI says I weigh too much. Like my [height-to-waist ratio](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=586815) my hip-to-waist ratio contradicts that. What about all the speculation on it’s role in women’s sexual attractiveness? Beyond the fact that it’s healthier to be a pear than an apple, on a more superficial level I don’t think it’s a huge stretch to imagine that a lot of men find the lack of a big belly more attractive. Many women aren’t so keen on beer bellies, either. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2010, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-waist-hip-ratio/562254/4 "2010-11-29T07:00:16Z")
It doesn’t really say anything about me, I don’t think. I’m sure I’m plenty unhealthy, but I know people with ratios over 1 that are more healthy than I am. (And I put myself at .9). ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2010, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-waist-hip-ratio/562254/5 "2010-11-29T07:12:57Z")
No matter what you plug into the tester linked in the OP, it says your ratio is healthy. No, really, try it. Plug in anything. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2010, 8:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-waist-hip-ratio/562254/6 "2010-11-29T08:18:50Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#): > > No matter what you plug into the tester linked in the OP, it says your ratio is healthy. No, really, try it. Plug in anything. I just tried it with really high numbers and it said ‘Your Waist to Hip Ratio is 0.91 and appears to indicate an increased risk for heart disease and diabetes.’ I’ve no idea what my actual measurements are. ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2010, 8:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-waist-hip-ratio/562254/7 "2010-11-29T08:55:38Z")
Well, I was ideal, and I enjoy good health. There was also the better-than-average fertility thing, which I can’t say I enjoyed, but I do appreciate my sons. Does it coordinate with your BMI: yes. Correlation to sexual attractiveness: Hmm. I used to have a really small waist. My husband loved that he could practically reach around it with his hands. (Big hands, I should point out.) Maybe that small waist thing is attractive to men because, in their subliminal reptile brain, they realize that indicates the woman is not pregnant, and therefore an opportunity to pass their genes along. ---
**Author:** ![ramel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eb8c5e/32.png) [@ramel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ramel)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2010, 9:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-waist-hip-ratio/562254/8 "2010-11-29T09:05:35Z")
0.83. It said I was in the healthy range. _shrug_ Not sure what the healthy range is, but yay! ---
**Author:** ![sandra\_nz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@sandra\_nz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sandra_nz)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2010, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-waist-hip-ratio/562254/9 "2010-11-29T12:36:10Z")
0.65 so I rounded up to 0.7 I am morbidly obese, but my bloodwork is always good FWIW. I don’t currently have any medical issues. ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2010, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-waist-hip-ratio/562254/10 "2010-11-29T14:46:44Z")
> [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](#): > > Maybe that small waist thing is attractive to men because, in their subliminal reptile brain, they realize that indicates the woman is not pregnant, and therefore an opportunity to pass their genes along. I think so, I think this is also why a flat belly is desireable. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2010, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-waist-hip-ratio/562254/11 "2010-11-29T14:48:18Z")
> [@scifisam2009](#): > > I just tried it with really high numbers and it said ‘Your Waist to Hip Ratio is 0.91 and appears to indicate an increased risk for heart disease and diabetes.’ > > I’ve no idea what my actual measurements are. Huh. I put in crazy numbers like 10 inch waist and 60 inch hips, and it told me I was healthy. Those are, of course, not my real measurements. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2010, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-waist-hip-ratio/562254/12 "2010-11-29T14:52:04Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#): > > Huh. I put in crazy numbers like 10 inch waist and 60 inch hips, and it told me I was healthy. Those are, of course, not my real measurements. It’s only looking at the ratio. I put in numbers that worked out to a ratio of 1.0 a couple of times, and it told me that was unhealthy. (Not my actual numbers. 😛 ) 10 inch waist and 60 inch hips would obviously not be healthy – or physically possible, for that matter – but the ratio is A-OK.