What your body shape says about your health
Which fruit most accurately resembles your body shape: apple, pear, banana or avocado? The roll-call may sound like last week’s shopping list, but when applied to your physical health, your body shape can offer a great deal of information about which areas of your health to focus on to stay well and feel your very best.
Four shapes and sizes
Over the past few decades, scientists have begun to understand that your body shape and propensity to hold more or less fat in certain areas are key indicators for health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, certain cancers and infertility. This distribution of weight in different places comes down to genetics, hormonal influence and lifestyle factors such as diet, exercise and stress.
By understanding how the combination of these influences impacts on your body shape, you can learn what to do to minimise health drawbacks and maximise benefits. Let’s look, shape by shape, at these risks and advantages.
Apple
Your shape: Your weight is centred around your hips and abdomen while your bottom may be small and your legs and arms thin. You may sometimes feel that your limbs look like they should be on a more slender person, while your stomach looks a little like a beach ball.
What this means: Apples tend to hold more fat around their tummy and hips but less on their bottom. The balance of sex hormones, such as testosterone and oestrogen, as well as stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenalin, and mood enhancing chemicals like serotonin and dopamine may play a role.
If you are a female and apple-shaped, your body may have a slightly higher level of “male hormonesâ€, or androgens, which make your tummy bigger while your backside gets smaller.
For both genders, an apple shape indicates lifestyle imbalances such as too much stress, the wrong foods and too little activity. In men, in particular, excessive alcohol consumption may be linked to the development of the typical apple-shaped “beer gutâ€.
Health issues: Unfortunately, when you gain weight, it goes straight to the “danger area†around your middle. Excess fat in this area doesn’t just build up under the skin. Studies show that visceral fat accumulates much deeper in the torso and has been linked to a greater risk of colon and breast cancer, diabetes, gallbladder problems, high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease.
Once you gain fat in the abdomen, the hormone insulin may have a much greater influence on your fat cells and blood sugar stability. But the outlook is not all doom and gloom. According to the Mayo Clinic in the US, visceral fat responds very well to exercise and a healthy diet, so if you put the effort in, the weight can be lost.
If you’re an apple shape, you should ensure that you see your doctor for regular blood cholesterol, blood sugar and blood pressure checks to monitor your risks of heart disease, diabetes type 2 and stroke. Having a bigger belly in your 40s has also been shown to increase your risk of developing Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia later in life.
Pear
Your shape: Your chest or breast circumferences are small to moderate and you have a well-defined waist. However, you hold your weight in your hips, bottom and thighs. You may sometimes look at your body and feel your slimmer torso looks like it has been sandwiched onto the legs and bottom of a larger-framed person, in much the same way a mermaid widens from the hips down.
What this means: The good news is that weight carried around your bottom and thighs is due to subcutaneous fat rather than the more dangerous visceral variety. Consequently, your risk for the usual suspects, such as heart disease, stroke and diabetes, is not elevated by your body shape, even if you sometimes complain about your large backside!
If you are a female pear shape you are also less likely to have problems with fertility. In fact, your smaller waist in comparison to your hips can offset (to a degree) the age-related risk factors that make conception more difficult.
Health issues: With additional weight carried in your bottom half, your pear shape may give you a higher tendency to develop blood circulation problems. These may include varicose veins, which indicate compromised blood flow and venous insufficiency, whereby the valves of your deep veins no longer operate efficiently, causing fluid retention, particularly in the ankles and feet.
Women with a pear shape are likely to have high levels of oestrogen, which can increase the risk of oestrogen-dominant conditions such as breast cancer, so check your breasts monthly for change.
Scientific research has also shown that pear body shapes may struggle more to lose weight than those with an apple shape. This is because fat in the upper body, chest and abdomen is mobilised by the body to burn more readily than fat stored in the bottom, hips and thighs. This means, unfairly, that you may have to work harder to lose weight than your friend who is an apple shape.
Banana
Your shape: If your body is a very slim straight-up-and-down banana shape, you may be the envy of friends because of your ability to “eat whatever you want†without gaining weight. You are likely to have a very slim waist and long legs, while your chest and waist circumferences are roughly the same width.
What this means: There are certainly some significant health advantages in your ability to stay so slim. Your risk of conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and breast cancer are likely to be significantly lower. However, this genetic health headstart is negated if you are unfit and carry more body fat than muscle, even though you are slim.
Health concerns: If you are a female banana shape, your smaller frame means you may be more predisposed to fertility problems due to your lower body mass index (BMI), so plan to start your family young. The female hormone oestrogen helps women store fat in the bottom, thighs and hips in readiness for pregnancy and breastfeeding. As the banana shape tends to be more masculine, this may indicate you have slightly lower oestrogen levels, which may affect your menstrual cycle and lead to the possibility of issues such as irregular ovulation. A lower BMI also puts you at greater risk of endometriosis, thus potentially affecting your ability to conceive. For both male and female banana shapes, your slender silhouette may encourage you to presume that because you are slim you are also healthy. However, this may not be the case if you are a couch potato and rarely eat homecooked food. In addition, your naturally small frame and lower BMI mean that, whether male or female, you may have a higher chance of developing osteoporosis (thin, brittle bones prone to fracture). Avocado Your shape: Your physique is somewhere between an apple and a pear shape. You are not slender or lean but appear stocky and solid, with wide chest and hips and very little narrowing at the waist. If you are fit, your upper arms and thighs will appear muscly and strong. What this means: Natural therapists believe the avocado-shaped person is affected by an inefficient thyroid — the gland that affects metabolism. This may be why avocado-shaped women and men tend to gain weight easily all over but then find it very hard to lose. People with this body type may find they have an easily triggered stress response, which may interfere with sleep, lower mood or cause muscle tension in the body. The good news is that, because your weight gain is evenly distributed all over rather than in key areas such as tummy or bottom, you avoid the problematic visceral fat that apple shapes suffer. If you can sustain a healthy weight, your body shape will not elevate your risk of heart disease, breast cancer, colon cancer or diabetes. Health issues: One disadvantage of being an avocado shape can be your lower level of general energy. This may leave you with less get-up-and-go to exercise, but if you can just motivate yourself to take that first step, being active will help to improve your lymphatic drainage and counter any insufficiency in thyroid hormones. However, some apple shapes find they have a generally hyped disposition. If this applies to you, you may love exercise and, in fact, often not know when to stop. If you are an avocado body shape, you may find that emotional states such as anger, anxiety and depression contribute to your weight gain. This means you could end up with heart problems down the track, even though your weight storage is not in the dangerous abdominal zone. Every time you stress out, your liver releases fats into your bloodstream, which can increase your chances of developing artery-clogging plaques. Studies have also shown that emotionally unbalanced states such as depression and loneliness increase the incidence of coronary heart disease. Although diet and exercise obviously affect your body shape, other less obvious factors also have an important impact. Age Most people find that as they age their shape changes. In part, this is because there is a shift in your fat cells and their location. In your 20s and 30s your “younger†fat cells tend to be fewer and closer to the surface. By age 40 or 50, these fat cells become larger and closer to your internal organs, causing the widening around the middle that we know as “middle-age spreadâ€. Even the previously thin banana shape will begin to notice this change. From your late 60s onwards, total weight is often lost but visceral fat can increase, further pushing many people towards an apple shape. This is not helped by a general slowing of your metabolism, which also occurs with age. Hormones The release of thyroid hormones, which control metabolism, can slow as you age, so this, too, can reduce your metabolic rate and change your shape. Post-menopause, a woman’s levels of oestrogen decline. Oestrogen greatly affects where fat is stored, so with declining levels, people who were previously pears or avocados may find themselves becoming more apple-shaped. Unfortunately, this increases their risk of associated health conditions such as heart disease and diabetes. Men also have a decrease in sex hormones as they age and will find their testosterone production dropping. If this applies to you, you’ll notice you build muscle more slowly and lose weight less easily, with all the associated increased health risks. Indoor lifestyleAge and changing body shape
With an increasing awareness of the risk of skin cancer, people are exposing themselves less and less to the sun. As we age, we tend to spend more time indoors. Unfortunately, as exposure to the sun enables your body to produce vitamin D, more Australians are becoming deficient in this important nutrient. Interestingly, lower levels of vitamin D have been linked to increased weight and BMI but also increased waist-to-hip ratio and a thickening around the middle.
Though you can’t change your genetic predisposition towards one particular body shape and you can’t hold back time, that doesn’t mean you are powerless to do anything about the health issues your body shape may cause. So embrace your shape and its individuality. Understand which diet and exercise approaches most benefit your physique. This will give you greater control over your health, weight and wellbeing to ensure your body shape works for you.
Follow The fat
The health implications of your body shape are directly linked to where you store your fat and how that fat impacts on the production of certain hormones.
- Fat cells release inflammatory substances that can contribute to the risk of certain cancers, heart disease and diabetes. It seems that the cells around the stomach promote greater inflammation.
- Tummy fat releases less leptin than cells around the thighs and backside. Leptin is a substance that helps to regulate appetite, so those who are more pear-shaped tend to feel full faster than those who are apple-shaped.
- There’s a number of different types of fat cells. Those closest to the belly are generally larger. This bigger variety is less insulin-sensitive, therefore predisposing apple-shaped people to greater risk of diabetes and heart health problems.
- People with greater levels of belly fat tend to produce less of a substance called thiazolidinediones (TZDs), which assist the body to send fat to “safer†areas such as the thighs.
- Visceral or tummy fat contains an abundance of androgen or testosterone receptors, which means that as testosterone declines with age in both men and women, belly fat increases.
- Fat stored around the thighs and backside poses less of a health risk as it is “less mobile†around the body. This means there is less chance of the fat moving to and being stored in organs such as your pancreas, liver or heart.
What body shape are you?
Apple
Thick waistline, beachball belly. Arms and legs appear small in relation to abdomen. Small hips and bottom. Breasts/chest are medium to large. You gain weight in the upper body first (bust and tummy). This is the most commonly seen shape in men.
Pear
Small–medium shoulders, narrow waist, wide hips and thighs, tapering to ankles. Full hips and bottom. Breasts/chest vary from small to medium. You gain weight around hips, bottom and thighs first. This is the most commonly seen shape in women and very rarely seen in men.
Banana
Straight-up-and-down body, slim waist, hips and chest same in width, long & slender. Slim hips and bottom. Boyish figure. Usually smaller chest/bust. You often find it hard to gain weight. Fine, tapered limbs with reasonable muscle tone. Bone structure may protrude around ribs and clavicle.
Avocado
Stocky build.
Wide hips and chest with undefined waist.
Legs & arms may appear muscly. Hips only slightly larger than waist. Breasts/chest vary from small to large. Often poor muscle tone with a tendency to fluid retention (this can give a “puffy†kind of appearance).
Making the most of your shape
Once you identify your shape and know its potential risks and advantages, you can take more control of your Health and make lifestyle changes to benefit your unique and wonderful body.
Apple
Diet Eat plenty of fruit/veg and wholegrains and minimal processed foods such as white bread or pastries.
Choose protein such as nuts/fish with a little chicken and occasional lean red meat. Go easy on the soy, which is high in phytoeostrogens. Increase consumption of spices such as ginger, garlic, chilli and turmeric to stimulate metabolism and improve liver function.
Chew your food well to aid digestion and nutrient absorption. This also gives your body good time to register that you are full. You are especially prone to mid-afternoon energy slumps, so be prepared with healthy snacks to avoid any “quick fix†temptations.
Exercise An active lifestyle is especially important for you. If you have a job where you are always sitting, get up often to stretch and at lunchtime go for a brisk walk. Jogging and cycling are ideal. Also try team sports and weight training.
Pear
Diet Higher-protein diets suit your body type, so eat more serves of lean meats supplemented with smaller amounts of legumes, nuts and seeds. Lemongrass or dandelion leaf teas can be helpful to minimise cellulite formation, as can plenty of water. Go for a bigger lunch and breakfast and consider an evening carbohydrate curfew — no carbs after 4pm. Never skip meals, especially breakfast.
You may have a tendency to get emotionally upset easily, so eating regularly will help stabilise your blood sugar levels and mood.
Exercise Upper-body strengthening exercises will even out your shape. Lighter cardio work can help slim down your bottom half, so consider walking or light jogging.
Banana
Obtain higher levels of calcium through sources such as tahini, tinned tuna and leafy greens. Choose low-GI foods that are high in fibre. Try to have protein at every meal. Consider taking a supplement with valerian and skullcap and drinking calming teas such as chamomile.
Lifestyle Meditation and progressive relaxation can be very helpful to support your adrenals. Avoid artificial stimulants for energy such as coffee or chocolate. Look for natural highs using music or exercise.
Exercise Weight-bearing exercise such as walking or gardening will help protect the strength and density of your bones. Gentler styles of exercise such as tai chi or Pilates can tone as well as relax.
Avocado
Diet A low- or no-dairy diet is more suitable for you, but ensure you talk to your naturopath, doctor or nutritionist before you make any sudden dietary changes. Strengthen your lymphatic system with juices such as carrot, beetroot and celery. For fluid retention relief, try parsley or dandelion leaf tea.
Lifestyle Dry skin-brushing can be great to get your lymphatic system working well and assist with fluid retention. Make sure you get adequate sleep and minimise stressful factors in your life such as rushing and worrying about things you can’t change.
Exercise Stay on the move. Your sluggish lymphatic system means exercise is crucial every day.
Toning activities are most beneficial, so light weights or swimming are great for you. Try a workout that combines exercise with stress reduction, such as yoga or tai chi, or exercise with a friend to make your workout out social.
Rowena York is a naturopath, herbalist and nutritionist.
