Research
Hormonal
Hip circumference is an independent predictor of metabolic risk; a smaller hip circumference (for a given waist circumference) is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.
Measure your hip circumference. If it is small relative to your waist, your risk for metabolic disease is higher. Building leg muscle and maintaining peripheral fat may offer some metabolic protection.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Several studies have found that a smaller hip circumference (for a given waist circumference) is associated with an increased risk.
Why this rating
Consistent findings across multiple studies, though less commonly measured than waist circumference.
Source
What aspects of body fat are particularly hazardous and how do we measure them?
MB Snijder et al. · International Journal of Epidemiology · 2005
DOI 10.1093/ije/dyi253
narrative_reviewCited 594×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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