Biomarkers · Anthropometric

Waist-to-Hip Ratio

Lower values go with lower risk of death. Not measured in our NHANES panel. The curve is drawn from the published study (source below).

Waist-to-Hip Ratio and risk of death

Published curve higher than the NHANES fitNHANES fit higher

Risk of death relative to the curve's reference value, drawn from the published study (source below).

Published risk of death1.20×per 0.1 unit increase in waist-to-hip ratio (95% CI 1.15–1.25) · Dose-response meta-analysis of 72 prospective general-population cohorts (2,528,297 participants); WHR pooled from 31 studies

Waist-to-Hip Ratio by age and sex

Each bar runs from the 5th to the 95th percentile, the darker part from the 25th to the 75th, and the tick is the median. Not a reference range or a target.

The percentiles as a table

Each row is one sex and age band: the values below which 5%, 25%, 50%, 75% and 95% of people fall (ratio), from the survey named in the row. Not a reference range or a target.
Sex	Age	5th	25th	Median	75th	95th	n	Cycle / source
All	20-39	0.78	0.85	0.90	0.96	1.04	1,463	NHANES 2017-2018
All	40-59	0.80	0.88	0.94	1.00	1.08	1,575	NHANES 2017-2018
All	60+	0.83	0.92	0.96	1.02	1.09	1,843	NHANES 2017-2018
All	all	0.80	0.88	0.94	0.99	1.07	4,881	NHANES 2017-2018
Men	20-39	0.82	0.88	0.93	0.98	1.06	707	NHANES 2017-2018
Men	40-59	0.89	0.95	0.99	1.03	1.09	745	NHANES 2017-2018
Men	60+	0.91	0.97	1.01	1.05	1.11	950	NHANES 2017-2018
Men	all	0.85	0.92	0.97	1.02	1.09	2,402	NHANES 2017-2018
Women	20-39	0.75	0.81	0.87	0.92	1.00	756	NHANES 2017-2018
Women	40-59	0.79	0.84	0.89	0.94	1.00	830	NHANES 2017-2018
Women	60+	0.82	0.89	0.93	0.97	1.02	893	NHANES 2017-2018
Women	all	0.78	0.84	0.90	0.95	1.01	2,479	NHANES 2017-2018

What studies found when this marker was changed

They describe what happened in those study groups, not a recommendation. See all catalogued interventions.

Measured changes in Waist-to-Hip Ratio, study by study

1 effect with a numeric size, each from one study arm: the dot is the reported change, the line its 95% interval where one was given. Green points move the marker the way lower risk of death lies; amber the other way. Study results in the groups studied, not predictions for a person.

Each row is one study: what was changed, the effect it reported on this marker, and the source.
Type	Intervention	Reported effect	Evidence	Source
pharmacologic	GLP-1 receptor agonist therapy (semaglutide, liraglutide and others) in adults with overweight or obesity without diabetes (41 RCTs)	Waist-to-hip ratio 0.011 lower (CI -0.015 to -0.007) with GLP-1RAs vs control; waist circumference -4.302 cm, body weight -5.319 kg	meta-analysis	Liu Y, Ruan B, Jiang H, et al. The Weight-loss Effect of GLP-1RAs Glucagon-Like…

Sources

Risk curve: Jayedi 2020 (PMID 32967840): all-cause HR 1.2 (1.15-1.25) per 0.1 unit increase in waist-to-hip ratio. Scaled to US values (NHANES).
Jayedi et al. Central fatness and risk of all cause mortality: systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of 72 prospective cohort studies. BMJ (Clinical research ed.). 2020;370:m3324.

Map Waist-to-Hip Ratio against another biomarker.

Map Waist-to-Hip Ratio against another marker