What is an Apple Shaped Body Type?

The Apple is similar to the Hour Glass, but you have slightly larger upper body with broad shoulders. You might appear top heavy. Apple shaped women tend to have slim legs/thighs, while the abdomen and chest look out of proportion compared to the rest of the body.

Signs that you are an apple shape:

• You have a full chest, upper back with no or little waist definition.
• Fat is mainly distributed in the abdomen, chest, and face.
• You’re top heavy, and smaller from the waist down
• And your bust and mid-riff might appear bigger than your hips.
• Your waistline is undefined
• Your hips and buttock might be wide and full along with your waist
• Your silhouette is round usually due to overweight or childbirth
• Another sign that can indicate you're an apple is that when you gain weight the fat gets easily stored around your upper half -- especially around your midsection.
• A waist to hip ratio of greater than 0.8 means you're an apple.

Health Risks linked to the Apple shape

Apple-shape people with fat concentrated around the abdomen are more likely than pear-shaped people to develop health problems related to obesity disorders and need to pay close attention to normalizing their weight. Most of the time this excess fat can put pressure on vital organs such as the kidneys, liver, hearth and so on which effect their function.

One of the most dangerous and well-known causes of weight gain in the abdominal area is stress. Fat storing is mainly done by a specific hormone called cortisol that can contribute to quick weight gain. When we are under pressure on a daily basis our organism is encouraged and more forced to store fat as if constantly in fear of losing our energy. Cortisol is indeed the main factor that generates this process. The best solution to fight against a bulky stomach is to relieve stress with the healthiest exercise programs as Yoga or Pilates or pamper our mind and body with the various mental and physical spa session

The apple body shape (body fat is stored around the middle - i.e. abdomen, chest and surround internal organs, such as the heart) is linked with health problems such as

• Coronary heart disease
• Stroke
• High blood pressure
• Gall bladder disease. The incidence of gallstones is significantly higher in obese women and men. The risk for stone formation is also high if a person loses weight too quickly.
• Type 2 Diabetes and Insulin Resistance. Most people with type 2 diabetes are obese and weight loss may be the key in controlling the current epidemic of type 2 diabetes. The common factor appears to be insulin resistance
• Metabolic Syndrome. Metabolic syndrome (also called syndrome X) is a pre-diabetic condition that is significantly associated with heart disease and higher mortality rates from all causes. The syndrome consists of obesity marked by abdominal fat, unhealthy cholesterol levels, high blood pressure, and insulin resistance.
• Hormonal cancers (e.g. breast cancer). Intra-abdominal fat (IAF) is closely associated with Uterine cancer , Breast cancer, Prostate cancer, Cancer of the esophagus, Colon cancer, Pancreatic cancer
• Sleep Apnea. Obesity, particularly the apple shape, is strongly associated with sleep apnea, which occurs when the upper throat relaxes and collapses from time to time during sleep. This collapse temporarily blocks the passage of air.
• The Pickwickian syndrome, named for an overweight character in a Dickens novel, occurs in severe obesity when lack of oxygen produces intense and chronic sleepiness and eventually, heart failure.
• Osteoarthritis- incidence of osteoarthritis is significantly increased in people who are overweight.
• Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease. People with obesity, particularly if they also have type 2 diabetes, are at higher risk for a condition called nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, also called nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).
• Depression. A number of studies have reported an association between depression and obesity, particularly in obese women. There does not appear to be any association between depression and obesity in men.
• Social Problems. One long-term study reported that overweight young women completed fewer years of school, were 20% less likely to be married, and had 10% higher rates of household poverty than their thinner peers.
• Effect on Pregnancy. Obesity has many dangerous effects on pregnancy. These include high blood pressure, gestational diabetes (diabetes, usually temporary, that occurs during pregnancy), urinary tract infections, blood clots, prolonged labor, and higher fetal death rate in late stages of pregnancy.
• Ovulatory dysfunction - this kind of abdominal or central fat is also associated with increased risk of Infertility.
• Erectile dysfunction - in men, obesity can contribute to reduced testosterone levels and erectile dysfunction

Celebrities known to have an apple body shape:

Chandra Wilson, Rosie O'Donnell, Jennifer Hudson, post-pregnant Angelina Jolie (a very thin apple), Catherine Zeta-Jones and Elizabeth Hurle