Women with big buttocks, thighs have lower risk of heart attack, stroke, diabetes – Experts

°A new research has found that thin people have a higher risk of killer diseases than fat people, since their fat goes straight to their heart and liver.

German researchers, led by Dr. Norbert Stefan from the University of Tübingen revealed that women with large bum tend to escape heart attack and other related diseases, as the bottom and thighs were safer places to store fat on the body.

This means that the fat is not transported to the essential organs where it could lead to high blood pressure, high blood sugar and a greater risk of illness in later life.

According to the study, “It is better for people of normal weight to be pear-shaped rather than apple-shaped, so that weight is carried on the bottom half of their body rather than around the middle.

“ The hips and thighs offer ‘safe storage’ for fat, stopping it from getting into the blood and reaching the organs."

The researchers found that women with bigger thighs and hips could be protecting themselves from diabetes and heart problems however.

Looking at 981 people with a high risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, they found those with smaller hips and thighs were at greater risk. This was based on MRI scans of fat distribution around the body and fitness checks.

Stefan said, “ Fat in the hips and thighs is largely different from fat in the abdomen, called visceral fat. In pear-shaped people, these areas work like a sponge, with fat stored in fat cells where it cannot do much harm.”

The study was published in the journal, Cell Metabolism.

It suggests that putting on hip and leg fat could even be beneficial for some thin people with diabetes or heart problems.

The study suggests that being pear-shaped is better for lean people, while in overweight people it does little to help. The fat levels in their internal organs may already be too high for this to offer extra protection.

It concludes, “Genetic analyses suggest that metabolic risk appears to be determined by different pathways in normal weight and obese subjects.”