Forget pear-shaped, women are now turning into apples!

UK: Ladies, if you find that you're having to let out your belt a notch or two, you're not alone.

The figure of the average British woman is now more likely to resemble an apple than a pear, research shows.

In other words, she is round around the middle.

In contrast, the pear shapes, such as Kate Winslet, who once predominated, have well-defined waists but generous hips and bottoms.

The shift from apples to pears came to light in a series of 'health MOTs' carried out on tens of thousands of British men and women.

Most of the female members of Nuffield Health's gyms put through their paces had waistlines that were almost two inches bigger than the 311/2-inch limit recommended for good health.

And the average waist to hip ratio for the 24,025 women surveyed was 0.83.

Anything above 0.8 suggests an apple-shaped figure, denoted by generous waist and slim hips.

A waist measurement of under 80 per cent of the hip circumference is generally considered healthy. DAILY MAIL