Singer Jennifer Lopez has topped attractiveness polls with her curves Carrying extra weight on your hips, bum and thighs is good for your health, protecting against heart and metabolic problems, UK experts have said. Hip fat mops up harmful fatty acids and contains an anti-inflammatory agent that stops arteries clogging, they say. Big behinds are preferable to extra fat around the waistline, which gives no such protection, the Oxford team said. Science could look to deliberately increase hip fat, they told the International Journal of Obesity. And in the future, doctors might prescribe ways to redistribute body fat to the hips to protect against cardiovascular and metabolic diseases such as diabetes. The researchers said having too little fat around the hips can lead to serious metabolic problems, as occurs in Cushing's syndrome. Shape not weight Evidence shows that fat around the thighs and backside is harder to shift than fat around the waist. Although this may sound undesirable, it is actually beneficial because when fat is broken down quickly it releases a lot of cytokines which trigger inflammation in the body, say experts. These cytokines have been linked to cardiovascular disease, insulin resistance and diabetes. Fat around the hips and thighs is good for you but around the tummy is bad
Lead researcher Dr Konstantinos Manolopoulos The slower burning hip fat also makes more of the hormone adiponectin that protects the arteries and promotes better blood sugar control and fat burning. In comparison, carrying excess fat around the stomach, being "apple shaped", raises the risk of diabetes and heart disease. Lead researcher Dr Konstantinos Manolopoulos, of Oxford University, said: "It is shape that matters and where the fat gathers. "Fat around the hips and thighs is good for you but around the tummy is bad." He said in an ideal world, the more fat around the thighs the better - as long as the tummy stays slim. "Unfortunately, you tend not to get one without the other," he said. Fotini Rozakeas of the British Heart Foundation said: "This research helps us better to understand how fat acts in the body in order to develop new approaches in reducing heart and circulatory disease. "If you are overweight, obese, or if you have a waist size that is increased, it is important to make changes to your lifestyle, such as eating a healthy diet and doing regular physical activity, to reduce your risk of heart health problems."
Bookmark with: Delicious
Digg
reddit
Facebook
StumbleUpon What are these? E-mail this to a friend Printable version
A new study conducted by researchers at Oxford University has concluded that women with fat around their bum, hips and thighs will have a reduced risk from various ailments.

The Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism's Dr. Konstantinos Manolopoulos said that "Fat around the hips and thighs is good for you but around the tummy is bad," although he cautioned that "Unfortunately, you tend not to get one without the other."  He worked with two other scientists to produce the paper, which was published in the International Journal of Obesity.

Fat around the waist has a tendency to release fatty acids, which are toxic. However, that found on curvy bums, thighs and hips actually traps fatty acids, as well as being associated with a reduced risk of diabetes and heart conditions. It releases hormones that help control blood sugar levels and keep arteries in good condition by preventing blockages with an anti-inflammatory. 

Belly fat releases inflammatory substances called cytokines and it is these that are trapped by the fat on curvy hips, bottoms and thighs. Cytokines also latch upon muscles and the liver, and can cause resistance to insulin, an important chemical. A lack of fat in the areas identified can also lead to metabolic chaos such as that which occurs in Cushing's syndrome.

"The idea that body fat distribution is important to health has been known for some time," explained Manolopoulos "However is it only very recently that thigh fat and a larger hip circumference have been shown to promote health, that lower body fat is protective by itself." He stated that future research might even seek ways to ensure people have a healthy layer of fatty curves and that further study may be required to better understand the health effects.