Are You an Apple?

 

People who have metabolic syndrome typically have apple-shaped bodies, meaning they have larger waists and carry a lot of their weight around their abdomen. It's thought that having a pear-shaped body — that is, carrying more of your weight around your hips and having a narrower waist — doesn't increase your risk of diabetes, heart disease and other complications of metabolic syndrome. This extra belly weight is typically in the form of visceral fat, that is, fat located deep within the spaces between the abdominal organs.

Carrying too much belly fat increases insulin resistance, inflammation and cholesterol levels, and this is true even if you are at a normal weight for your height. In fact, a 2019 study published in JAMA Open Network concluded that this sort of "central fat" seems to be a key indicator of higher mortality risk among women who are otherwise considered of normal weight. The 24 year study included over 155,000 American women but there is no real reason for men to imagine that their risk is much different.

Normal-weight women with waistlines larger than 34 1/2 inches were 31% more likely to die than women with slimmer waists. The risk for fatal heart disease was about 40% higher, and the risk of fatal cancers was about 25% higher. And overweight and obese women faced similar elevated risk if they had wide waistlines.

From clinical and basic investigations, we know that aging, sex hormones, excess intake of sugar, and lack of physical exercise are factors influencing visceral fat accumulation. You can't do much about your age but you have near total control over your sugar intake and activity level. So even if you are at a healthy weight, keeping toned reduces your risk for numerous health conditions.