Hips Don't Lie

Hips Don’t Lie

By:Dr Madan M Vasandani

In this famous song, sung by Shakira “… my hips don’t lie and I’m starting to feel it's right.” These lyrics ignited the curiosity in me to find out more about the hips and how it is related to many health conditions. The hip is known to be an area of various disputes. The infamous apple and pear shaped body is all about the hips. Beauty, Diseases and believe it or not, Intelligence are all related to the shape and size of the hips. Here are some interesting facts regarding the hips that I managed to gather:

1. Waist to hip ratio - This is the ratio of the circumference of the waist to that of the hips. The ratio applies to both men and women. A ratio of 0.9 and 0.7 is considered to be ideal for male and female respectively. It is found that females with a WHR of 0.7 have better health and fertility. Women with the 0.7 range have optimal levels of estrogen and are less susceptible to major disease such as diabetes, cardiovascular disorders and ovarian cancers. Men with WHRs around 0.9, similarly have been shown to be more healthy and fertile with less prostate cancer and testicular cancer.
2. Intelligence - A recent study done by two researchers, Steven Gaulin and William Lassek found that an hourglass figure may have evolutionary significance. They found that a women’s waist to hip ratio had an impact on a child’s intelligence; curvy women birthed children with superior cognitive abilities. Lassek believes Omega-3 fatty acids, are believed to be the source of the benefits. They are selectively stored in the hips and thighs beginning in adolescence. Notably, women do not begin to metabolize these deposits except during the 3^rd trimester of pregnancy and during lactation – peak times for a child’s brain growth.
3. Memory - Scientists from the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Illinois have just released findings from their recent study regarding the correlation between memory and weight in older women. According to the study, the more an older woman weighs, the worse her memory was found to be. Additionally the scientists concluded that the effect is greater in those women who carry extra weight around their hips, and have a pear shaped body, as compared to those women who carry excess weight around their waists and have an apple shaped body
4.   Bone Health - According to a report from the International Osteoporosis Foundation, women who sit for more than nine hours a day are fifty percent more likely to break a hip than women who sit less than six hours a day. Muscles in your butt, groin, and spine help hold your hip joint together.
5. Bigger Hips for Preventing Heart Disease - British scientists at Oxford University have claimed that having a big bottom is good for health, it protects against heart diseases and metabolic disorders. Hip fat cleans up fatty acids that are harmful to us and contains an agent that prevents the blockage of arteries. The experts have also stated that big hips are better than big waistlines. A big girth doesn’t offer any such protection, in fact, it has the reverse effect. Lead researcher, Konstantinos Monolopoulos, states, that the fat around the hips and the thigs are good for you, whereas, fat accumulated around the waist is bad.

I believe that when it comes to health, all fat isn’t created equal. Just like real estate, it’s all about location. Two people who are equally overweight, with the same percentage of body fat, can have different risks of disease and early death if their body fat distribution patterns are different. Hence, it’s time that you not only pay attention to your weight but also your shape. For a full Cardiovascular and Cancer assessment contact Centrepoint Healthcare at 021 570 6208.