The WHR is the relationship between the waist and the hip measurements. Most people store fat in two distinct ways. Often called 'apple' and 'pear' shape. These terms refer to the weight around your middle ('apple') and around your hips ('pear'). If you carry more weight around the middle then this puts you under additional risk from heart disease and diabetes.

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Waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) looks at the proportion of fat stored on your body around your waist and hip. It is a simple but useful measure of fat distribution. Most people store their body fat in two distinct ways: around their middle (apple shape) and around their hips (pear shape).

Having an apple shape (carrying extra weight around the stomach) is riskier for your health than having a pear shape (carrying extra weight around your hips or thighs). This is because body shape and health risk are linked. If you have more weight around your waist you have a greater risk of lifestyle related diseases such as heart disease and diabetes than those with weight around their hips.

Even so, overall obesity is still of greater risk than where fat is distributed or stored on your body. Other important measurements are Body Mass Index (BMI) and percentage of body fat.