All excess fat is dangerous

Comparing women's bodies to fruits — apple or pear — turns out to be an unfruitful predictor of heart risk, say researchers who reviewed 58 studies representing 220,000 people. Contrary to the belief that carrying extra tummy pudge is worse than having hefty hips, they found that all excess fat — wherever it's deposited — is dangerous.

In their analysis, which linked specific risk factors to future cardiovascular health, body-shape measures, such as waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio, were relatively poor forecasters.

But obesity itself did matter. "It can set you up for some of the leading risk factors — high blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol and diabetes," says co-author Emanuele Di Angelantonio, M.D., Ph.D., of the University of Cambridge.