图源：图虫创意

Some girls tend to feel frustrated if they have a pear-shaped body, with hips (臀部) that are wider than the bust (胸部) and shoulders. While pear-shaped people’s waists are typically smaller, they may have more fat on their hips and legs. So, many pear-shaped girls try to hide their hips and legs under large dresses and pants.

有些女孩如果拥有梨形身材，即臀部比胸围和肩膀宽，往往会感到沮丧。虽然梨形身材的人的腰部通常较细，但他们的臀部和腿部可能有更多的脂肪。所以，很多梨形身材的女孩都试图把自己的臀部和腿部隐藏在肥大的衣服和裤子下。
 

However, a recent study suggested that pear-shaped people are the ones who won the genetic lottery (“基因彩票”)!

然而，最近的一项研究表明，梨形身材的人是中了基因彩票的人！
 

A study published in September by the US National Library of Medicine found that the waist-to-hip ratio (WHR, 腰臀比) shows the strongest and most consistent association with mortality (死亡率). Traditionally, the body mass index (BMI) has been considered the best indicator of health. However, this study challenges this belief. It surveyed nearly 40,000 people and found that, regardless of BMI, WHR is positively correlated (相关的) with all-cause mortality (all of the deaths that occur in a population, no matter the cause). The larger the WHR, the higher the all-cause mortality rate will be. Instead of focusing on how much fat a person has, scientists suggest people should focus more on how fat is distributed in a person’s body.

美国国立医学图书馆9月份发表的一项研究发现，腰臀比（WHR）与死亡率的关联性最强且最一致。传统上，体重指数（BMI）被认为是衡量健康的最佳指标。然而，这项研究挑战了这一定论。它调查了近40,000人，发现无论BMI如何，腰臀比与全因死亡率（人群中发生的所有死亡，无论是何原因）呈正相关。腰臀比越大，全因死亡率越高。科学家建议人们不应该关注一个人有多少脂肪，而应该更多地关注脂肪在人体内的分布情况。
 

WHR, as its name suggests, compares your waist measurement to your hip measurement. A larger waistline means more central fat, which could indicate more visceral fat (内脏脂肪), also known as toxic fat. Harvard Medical School states that more visceral fat increases the risk of illnesses including diabetes (糖尿病), heart diseases and asthma (哮喘). That’s why people with a pear-shaped body tend to be healthier than others. According to the World Health Organization, a healthy WHR is less than 0.85 for women and less than 0.9 for men.

腰臀比，顾名思义，是将一个人的腰围测量值与臀围测量值相比较。腰围越大意味着中央脂肪越多，这可能代表内脏脂肪（又称有毒脂肪）更多。哈佛医学院指出，更多的内脏脂肪会增加患糖尿病、心脏病和哮喘等疾病的风险。这就是为什么梨形身材的人往往比其他人更健康。根据世界卫生组织的数据，女性腰臀比低于0.85，男性腰臀比低于0.9是健康的。
 

It is impossible to specifically target waist fat when people try to lose weight. But losing overall fat will make the waist smaller. Researchers from Johns Hopkins University suggested we eat less carbohydrates (碳水化合物) and more food higher in fiber (纤维) and protein. Moreover, doing strength training helps build more muscle, which makes you burn more calories even when you’re resting.

当人们试图减肥时，不可能只减腰部脂肪。但减去整体脂肪会使腰围变小。约翰霍普金斯大学的研究人员建议我们少吃碳水化合物，多吃富含纤维和蛋白质的食物。此外，进行力量训练有助于增肌，让人们即使在休息时也能燃烧更多卡路里。

以上文章内容选自《21世纪英文报》高二931期