What is your Body Type?

Many doctors rely on waist size only to predict health risk. For women, a waist size of more than 35 inches means generally way too much visceral fat. For men, a waist size of more than 40 inches is considered risky.

Why Is Body Shape So Important?

Although we've known for decades that these different body shapes existed, only now are their causes and related health risks becoming clear. The startling discovery is that the areas of our bodies where we are genetically and hormonally predisposed to store our fat make all the difference.

Fat comes in two main varieties: subcutaneous fat, which is located under the skin; and visceral or abdominal fat, which packs itself around the inner organs of the abdomen.

Subcutaneous fat, being closer to the surface, is always easy to see. Visceral fat, on the other hand, is not always visible from the outside. It jams up against the intestines, kidneys, pancreas and liver (and sometimes even inside the liver). We all have some visceral fat because it protects our internal organs, acting both as shock absorber in case of trauma, and as insulator to help us conserve body heat. While some visceral fat is necessary, too much can create serious health problems.

Most people think of fat as inert material, much like the rind of fat surrounding a steak. But fat is actually living, breathing, hormone-producing tissue. Fat is critical for survival because it stores food energy, and because it helps regulate body functions through the give-and-take of chemical communications with the central nervous system.

Subcutaneous fat may be visible and annoying, but it is relatively harmless. In fact, fat in the pear zone -- hips, thighs and buttocks -- helps to protect us from disease and is hard to lose. Scientists are still studying this fat to try and understand exactly why it is protective. Subcutaneous fat is a ready supply of energy or fuel only when we are pregnant, breast-feeding or starving.

Excess visceral fat, on the other hand, can be dangerous. Visceral fat is more metabolically active than subcutaneous fat, and most of what it does is harmful to the body.

Visceral fat decreases insulin sensitivity (making diabetes more likely), increases triglycerides, decreases levels of HDL cholesterol (the good one), creates more inflammation and raises blood pressure -- all of which increase the risk of heart disease. Instead of trapping fat, visceral fat releases more of its free fatty acids into the blood stream, further increasing the risk of both diabetes and heart disease.

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