MANCHESTER, England, Dec. 12 (UPI) -- Not a big waist alone, but a big waist in relation to smaller hips, has been linked to a higher risk of heart disease, British researchers found.

"The size of the hips seems to predict a protective effect," lead study author Dr. Dexter Canoy, of the University of Manchester, said in a statement. "In other words, a big waist with comparably big hips does not appear to be as worrisome as a big waist with small hips."

From l993 to 1997, 24,508 men and women ages 45 to 79 in the United Kingdom were measured. After an average 9.1 years of follow-up, 708 men and 892 women developed coronary heart disease. The researchers also found:

-- Men with the biggest waists in relation to their hips had a 55 percent higher risk of developing coronary heart disease compared to men with the smallest waists in relation to their hips.

-- Women with the highest waist to hip ratio were 91 percent more likely to develop heart disease than women with the smaller waists in relation to their hips.

-- Waist only measurements underestimated heart disease risk by 10 percent to 18 percent when compared to waist-to-hip ratios.

The findings were published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.