It's healthier to be a pear than an apple when it comes to body shape, research has shown. A study on mice appears to demonstrate that those who gain weight around their hips (pear-shaped), are better protected against the diseases linked to obesity than those who accumulate fat around the abdomen (apple-shaped).
For postmenopausal women, being “pear-shaped” may be healthier than being “apple-shaped.” Even in women with normal body mass index, the location of fat varies. Apple-shaped women have more fat around the waist, pear-shaped more around the hips and legs.
Hourglass
When your hips and bust are similarly sized and you have a narrow waist, you've got an hourglass figure. For years, experts have considered this "healthiest" body shape since the waist-to-hip ratio is low, according to Dr. Rogers.
“Apple-shaped” describes people with ample waists and a tendency to gain weight in their abdomens. Pear-shaped folks have smaller waists and carry their extra pounds in the hips, thighs and butt.
She also notes, an apple can never become a pear. An overweight apple can become a healthy apple by reducing the fat around the stomach. (A banana - straight up and down shape falls into the apple category). Pear-shaped women are biggest on their lower body where they store the majority of their fat.
Pear-shaped women have heavier thighs and/ or hips and/or butts which causes the fat in those areas to compress veins, leading to varicose veins. Cellulite is a condition in which the skin appears to have areas with underlying fat deposits, making the skin dimpled and lumpy.
Studies have found that a pear-shaped body is related to excessive oestrogen. This condition is called oestrogen dominance. Too much oestrogen has been linked to fat accumulation in the abdominal area, leading to more weight at the hips and, thus, a pear-shaped body.
If you have always tended to store fat around your middle, rather than your hips and thighs, then you're naturally 'apple shaped'. This genetic predisposition means losing belly fat will be harder than for those with other body shapes, but definitely not impossible.
Celebrities with a pear-shaped body
If you're hoping to find some style inspiration from the red carpet, take a look at some celebrities with pear-shaped bodies, like Kelly Clarkson, Beyoncé, Kim Kardashian, Jennifer Lopez, Iskra Lawrence, and Shakira.
Apples and Pears
Water-rich fruits are high in soluble fiber and vitamins, both of which can burn belly fat. “Just make sure it's a whole fruit and not a juice or a sauce,” says Waldt. Apples in particular are good because they help you feel fuller longer.
Apple Shape
Abdominal obesity is probably the most dangerous of all, and apple body shape is considered at the highest risk for health issues compared to the other body types. Larger waists can mean higher risk of heart disease. It can also mean higher risk of Type 2 diabetes.
Top hourglass body shape
Considered to be the most attractive body shape, this is very similar to hourglass body shape, except that in this case the curves are more defined.
Endomorphs body type
Endomorphs typically have higher levels of body fat and have a difficult time losing weight and they also have a wider physique when compared to ectomorphs and mesomorphs.
That's the message of a study published in the journal PLOS ONE that found that pear-shaped people, who have comparatively thinner waists than people shaped like apples, tend to live longer. To reach their conclusion, researchers measured the waist-to-height ratio of almost 7,500 people in the UK between 1985 and 2005.
Fat accumulated around the chest and belly makes our body shaped like an apple, while fat accumulated around the belly and below, such as on the thighs and buttocks, will cause our body to have a pear shape.
Celebrities with an apple-shaped body include Amy Schumer, Oprah, Mindy Kaling, Drew Barrymore, Adele, Queen Latifah, Kate Winslet, and Missy Elliott. When it comes to styling apple shapes, life is really sweet. It is all about playing up the bust area and emphasising the arms and legs.
One of the most common body shapes is the Pear body shape. A pear shape, to put it simply, is heavier on the bottom. For precision, measure yourself at your shoulder, bust, waist and hips as shown in the figure below.
But what is a pear shaped body exactly? Classic pear shapes are characterised by having their hips and bottom wider than their shoulders and bust. If you have a slimmer upper body but tend to carry your weight around your hips and lower half, you're likely a pear shape.
It's good to be a pear.
There are serious advantages to having a pear-shaped body. A little extra weight in the hips, thighs or buttocks will NOT increase the risk for several life-threatening diseases like diabetes and coronary artery disease.
Apple-shaped bodied women also tend to have thinner arms, legs, and hips, and tend to gain weight at their waistlines.
Endomorph. This somatotype usually has more body fat and muscle, smaller shoulders, shorter limbs, and larger bone structure. Think of football linemen, shot put throwers, or curvier women. You may gain weight easily, especially in your lower belly and hips, and find it harder to lose.
Abdominal fat — the main cause of an apple-shaped figure — has long been considered more worrisome than fat that settles on the hips and below, which marks the so-called pear shape. Risk increases for men if their waist circumference is larger than 40 inches, and 35 inches for women.
To flatter the pear shape, opt for shorter jumpers that hit just at the hip bones. A shorter sweater in a chunkier fabric or a loose fit will create volume on the upper body and balance the wider hips. Loose, long sweaters that hit mid-thighs are also flattering for the pear body shape.
The “pear” body type (also known as gynoid obesity) stores fat easily around the hips and thighs. This type of fat is known as “passive” fat. The good news is that it may be health-promoting in terms of insulin resistance and cholesterol levels.
A pear-shaped body is associated with excess fat being stored in the hip and thigh areas. While still not ideal, the good news for those that have this body shape is that you are at a lower risk for developing many of the conditions related to those who are apple-shaped.