LONDON (Reuters) - Men find women with large breasts and slim waists more sexually attractive than waif-like supermodels, scientists disclosed. The discovery was the result of a survey in which 40 male students were shown photographs of the bodies of 50 women and asked to say which they found the most attractive. Women classified as emaciated were considered less attractive than those carrying a few more pounds, according to the study published in The Lancet medical journal. The study also found that men preferred women of this type rather than those who conformed to the conventional measure of physical attractiveness in which the waist measurement is 70 percent of that of the hips. What it comes down to is that the body-mass index is a more reliable guide than the waist-hip ratio to the kind of women men like,

said the study by Martin Tovee of Newcastle University, northeastern England. The body-mass index is worked out by dividing a person`s weight in kilograms by the square of the height in metres. In the study, 10 women were drawn from each of five body-mass index categories. Those with a body-mass index of 15 or less were classified as emaciated, 15-19 was classified as underweight, 20-24 was normal, 25-30 was overweight and those above 30 were considered to be obese. The women the men liked the look of were mostly grouped between 18 and 21 on the body-mass index scale. "Body-mass index emerges as the major factor in determining sexual attractiveness, since it is a

good predictor of health and reproductive potential," Tovee said.