Good news for big butts and women

Big Bottoms Are Good for Health

One question a man hates to be asked is, “Does my butt look too big in this?” But researchers suggest the healthy answer could be “yes.” They believe that the type of fat women hate, the kind that collects around the hips, may offer health benefits including helping protect women against Type 2 diabetes.
The type of fat that accumulates under the skin — called subcutaneous fat — may improve sensitivity to insulin, which regulates levels of blood sugar and may protect people against developing diabetes. So, a generous bottom may mean a lower risk of developing diabetes. In addition, the fat around bottoms may also produce hormones called adipokines, which may counteract the negative effects caused by abdominal fat (also known as visceral fat).
Scientists at Harvard Medical School found even more good news for pear-shaped people: They are less likely to develop heart disease.
Study leader Dr. Ronald Kahn gave mice transplants of subcutaneous fat deep into their abdomens. The mice began to lose weight after several weeks and their fat cells shrank. The insulin levels and blood sugar also improved.
“The surprising thing was that it wasn’t where the fat was located, it was the kind of fat that was the most important variable,” said Dr. Kahn. “Even more surprising, it wasn’t that abdominal fat was exerting negative effects, but that subcutaneous fat was producing a good effect.”

Women with small waists and big hips also have big IQs,

A study of 16,000 women determined those with hourglass figures were more intelligent than their counterparts with round or straight bodies, The Sunday Times of London reported.
Curvier women also tended to have more intelligent children, possibly because omega3 fatty acids are stored in their hips, the British newspaper said. Skinny women, or those whose fat deposits are around their waists do not have such deposits.
The study, to be published in the journal Evolution and Human Behavior this week, may explain earlier findings that men prefer women with smaller waists than hips even if they are compared to slimmer women, said the study's authors at the University of Pittsburgh and the University of California, Santa Barbara.
It may also help break down the stereotype that attractive women are not intelligent, sexual and relationship psychologist Paula Hall told the newspaper.