Post by Jai D on Jan 13, 2010 15:19:23 GMT -5
Fat can be 'good for you' - www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/wellbeing/3227957/Fat-can-be-good-for-you
Having a big bum, heavy hips and thick thighs is "good for you'', Oxford University experts have discovered.
Reasearchers have found that that carrying extra weight on your bottom, hips and thighs has a range of health benefits and protects against diabetes and heart disease.
Dr Konstantinos Manolopoulos, one of the scientists behind the research, which was published in the International Journal of Obesity, said while fat on the hips and thighs is good, belly fat was bad.
"A big bottom is much better than carrying fat around the waist, which tends to release more harmful fatty acids into the body.
"Belly fat also releases molecules which trigger inflammation - raising the risk of diabetes and heart disease,'' he said.
The study showed that fat carried on the thighs trapped harmful fatty acids and stopped them from latching on to the liver and muscles and causing a range of health problems, including insulin resistance.
Fat around the thighs and backside releases beneficial hormones which protect the arteries and help blood sugar control.
"The idea that body fat distribution is important to health has been known for some time. However is it only very recently that thigh fat and a larger hip circumference have been shown to promote health.
"In an ideal world, the more fat around the thighs the better, providing the stomach stays slim. Unfortunately, you tend not to get one without the other," Manolopoulos said.
Having a big bum, heavy hips and thick thighs is "good for you'', Oxford University experts have discovered.
Reasearchers have found that that carrying extra weight on your bottom, hips and thighs has a range of health benefits and protects against diabetes and heart disease.
Dr Konstantinos Manolopoulos, one of the scientists behind the research, which was published in the International Journal of Obesity, said while fat on the hips and thighs is good, belly fat was bad.
"A big bottom is much better than carrying fat around the waist, which tends to release more harmful fatty acids into the body.
"Belly fat also releases molecules which trigger inflammation - raising the risk of diabetes and heart disease,'' he said.
The study showed that fat carried on the thighs trapped harmful fatty acids and stopped them from latching on to the liver and muscles and causing a range of health problems, including insulin resistance.
Fat around the thighs and backside releases beneficial hormones which protect the arteries and help blood sugar control.
"The idea that body fat distribution is important to health has been known for some time. However is it only very recently that thigh fat and a larger hip circumference have been shown to promote health.
"In an ideal world, the more fat around the thighs the better, providing the stomach stays slim. Unfortunately, you tend not to get one without the other," Manolopoulos said.