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The waist-to-hip ratio measurement can be used to help determine obesity. The distribution of fat is evaluated by dividing waist size by hip size.
A person with a 30-inch waist and 40-inch hips would have a ratio of .75; one with a 41-inch waist and 39-inch hips would have a ratio of 1.05. The higher the ratio, the higher the risk of heart disease and other obesity-related disorders. Hence a high waist-hip ratio reflects a large waist measurement relative to the hips and a higher proportion of the risky visceral fat. Even in patients with a BMI as low as 23 a high waist-hip ratio predicted an increased risk of heart attack.
The Interheart study of 15,000 patients which found that the ratio between the waist and the hip measurement predicted the risk of a heart attack more accurately than using BMI alone.