In case you haven't heard, the latest craze amongst medical practitioners is no longer having a Body Mass Index (BMI) under 25, nor are they even promoting a lower body fat percentage, per se.
Doctors now claim that the largest a man's waist should be (....and by waist I don't mean your trouser size. Natural waist is measured around the navel), is half of his height in inches. Eg. a 6'0" man is 72 inches tall. His natural waist, as measured around his navel should never exceed 36 inches. That is a Waist-to-Height-Ratio of .50 ( otherwise known as .50%).
However, I have read online that the absolute optimal Waist-to-Height-Ratio (WHtR) is a number anywhere from .43 to .50. The guys at the Adonis Effect Index website claim every male should aspire for a WHtR of .447. The website doesn't explain why they picked such a very specific and exact number like .447, as opposed to just saying .44 or .45. I don't know why they do this, unless perhaps, a WHtR of .447 correlates with 10% body fat. I don't know, however, I am curious if anybody has read any studies which possibly lists the ideal male WHtR for optimum health.
Various studies I have read found a BMI of 24 on a man is ideal for health. I read another study that found the optimal BMI that women are most attracted to on a man is 24.5. Generally speaking, women are most attracted, by nature, to men who are at optimum physical health, not necessarily their ideal aesthetic best when it comes to looks alone. For instance, most men don't show 6-pack abs till they get below 8-10% body fat. Yet consistently, the majority of women claim they prefer men who are at the 12% body fat range. Any competitive bodybuilder will tell you that they can't compete until they reach the 6% body fat. And male models must normally get below 8% body fat. Nevertheless, most women crave men at the 12% level, nothing less.
Coincidentally, numerous medical studies claim the average man is at his absolute optimum health when he is at 12% body fat.......See what I mean? Women's taste in men test the tide of time. Their natural instincts drive them to mate with the most healthy man available. If they have their pick of many men of equal class, personality, background, etc, they will always choose the most healthiest looking man.
With that said, what is the healthiest WHtR for a man?