WOMEN CARRY EXCESS FAT AROUND THE HIPS AND THIGHS,
THIS IS CALLED GYNOID FAT. THIS TYPE OF FAT IS TYPICALLY
NOT ASSOCIATED WITH AN INCREASE RISK OF DISEASES THAT
ARE LINKED TO EXCESS BODY FAT,
(CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE, HYPERTENSION, and DIABETES II).

MEN TYPICALLY CARRY EXCESS BODY FAT RIGHT UNDER THE
HEART IN THE WAISTLINE. THIS IS CALLED ANDROID FAT AND IS
HIGHLY CORRELATED WITH AN INCREASE RISK FOR DEVELOPING
FAT RELATED DISEASES.

WOMEN TEND TO DEVELOP MORE ANDROID TYPE FAT PERI-MENOPAUSE AND POST-MENOPAUSE.

BMI (BODY MASS INDEX) AND WHT (WAIST TO HIP RATIO) ARE
MEASURES THAT ARE GOOD PREDICTORS OF THESE HEALTH RISKS.

FOR BOTH MEN AND WOMEN IT IS GOOD TO CALCULATE THESE
MEASURES EVERY SIX MONTHS SO THAT IT WILL BE OBVIOUS
WHEN OR IF THERE IS A DEVELOPING HEALTH RISK
THROUGHOUT A LIFETIME.

BMI=WEIGHT (KG) DIVIDED BY HEIGHT IN METERS SQUARED.

FIRST YOU MUST CONVERT WEIGHT FROM POUNDS TO KG BY
DIVIDING THE POUNDS BY 2.2. THIS WILL GIVE YOU YOUR
BODY WEIGHT IN KG. FOR INSTANCE IF YOU WEIGH 150 POUNDS
YOU DIVIDE BY 2.2 AND YOU GET 68.2 KG.

SECOND YOU MUST CONVERT HEIGHT FROM INCHES TO CM BY
MULTIPLYING THE INCHES BY 2.54. THIS WILL GIVE YOU CENTIMETERS.
THEN YOU CONVERT CENTIMETERS TO METERS BY DIVIDING BY 100.
FOR INSTANCE IF YOU ARE 70 INCHES TALL, MULTIPLY THAT
BY 2.54. THESE EQUAL 177.8 THEN DIVIDE THAT BY 100 AND
YOU GET 1.778.

THIRD, YOU MUST SQUARE THE 1.778, WHICH JUST MEANS THAT
YOU MULTIPLY 1.778 BY 1.778 WHICH EQUALS 3.161.

FOURTH, YOU DIVIDE 68.2 KG BY 3.161 WHICH EQUALS 21.6.
THIS IS YOUR BMI.

LASTLY, YOU COMPARE YOUR BMI TO THE TABLE BELOW AND
THIS WILL TELL YOU WHAT YOUR RISK IS.

NORMAL WEIGHT 19 TO < 25
OVERWEIGHT 25 TO < 30
MODERATE RISK 30 TO < 35
HIGH RISK >/=35

THE SECOND MEASURE THAT WILL HELP YOU DETERMINE YOUR
RISK IS YOUR WAIST TO HIP RATIO.

FIRST MEASURE YOUR WAIST IN INCHES
SECOND MEASURE YOUR HIPS IN INCHES
THIRD DIVIDE YOUR WAIST IN INCHES BY YOUR HIP IN INCHES.

FOR INSTANCE, IF YOUR WAIST IS 30 AND YOUR HIPS ARE 35
YOU DIVIDE 30 BY 35 AND YOU GET .86.

FOURTH, YOU COMPARE YOUR RATIO TO THE TABLE BELOW TO
DETERMINE YOUR RISK.

MEN - WOMEN
HIGH RISK >1.0 >0.85
MODERATE RISK 0.90-1.0 0.80-0.85
LOWER RISK <0.90 <0.80

SO IF YOU ARE A MAN WITH A WHT OF .86 WOULD PUT YOU AT
A LOW RISK FOR DEVELOPING A HEALTH RELATED DISEASE BUT
IF YOU ARE A WOMAN WITH A WHT OF .86 YOU WOULD BE AT
HIGH RISK FOR DEVELOPING THE ABOVE-MENTIONED DISEASES.

I ENCOURAGE YOU TO CHECK THESE MEASURES AND BE SURE
THAT YOU TRY TO STAY WITHIN THE LOW TO NO RISK LEVEL.

TOGETHER IN HEALTH,

Patricia