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Big Advantage For Curvy Women
Curvaceous, voluptuous women are more likely to live longer than their slimmer friends. For good looks and good health, the feminine ideal really should be an hourglass figure with well-defined hips. Think Catherine Zeta-Jones and Sophia Loren.
It turns out that those wide hips help protect women against potentially fatal heart conditions, according to researchers from the Institute of Preventative Medicine in Copenhagen. Why? Hip fat appears to contain a beneficial natural anti-inflammatory protein hormone called adiponectin that actually prevents arteries from swelling up and becoming blocked, report the BBC News and the Manchester Evening News.
Here's the magic number: Your hips need to measure 40 inches with a dress size of 14 for the most benefit.
The study: Almost 3,000 men and women aged 35 to 65 took part in the research. In 1987 and 1988 the Danish researchers measured the participants' height, weight and body mass index. Through 1998, Danish health registers were checked to find out which of the participants suffered cardiovascular problems, while death records were checked through 2001.
The results: Compared to the group of women with the smallest hip circumferences, women with the biggest were found to have an 87 percent reduction in deaths, reports the BBC News. The curvier women also had an 86 percent reduced risk of developing coronary heart disease and a 46 percent reduction in the risk of cardiovascular disease. Sorry, guys. This benefit is for ladies only. Large hip circumference was not found to offer better heart health for men.
"It seems that the protection is not a matter of wide hips, it's the detrimental effect of narrow hips with a lack of muscle fat, or bone or a combination of both," study leader Berit Heitmann told the BBC. "Fat on hips is different than fat on the abdomen. If you do not have enough of this fat, you may risk heart attacks."
The classic apple shape where the fat is located in the belly area really can be dangerous to your health since fat cells produce chemicals that can change the insulin system. That in turn raises the risk of diabetes and heart disease.
The study results were published in the journal Obesity Research.