Why The Fat On Your Hips And Thighs Might Not Be A Bad Thing

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We know that extra inch around your hips and thighs makes fitting into your favorite pair of jeans a total nightmare, but new research suggests that normal-weight people who carry fat in these “natural curve” areas (as opposed to around their midsections) are better protected from health risks like heart disease and diabetes.

The German research team behind the study analyzed data from approximately 1,000 participants of varying weights (normal, overweight and obese) who all exhibited at least one risk factor for heart disease or diabetes (personal body weight, high blood sugar levels or a family history of diabetes). They then measured each person’s body fat mass and mapped their body fat distribution.

The study ended up focusing primarily on the participants who were lean, meaning they had normal BMI readings, but were considered “metabolically unhealthy” because of their existing risk factors for heart disease and diabetes (like high blood pressure or insulin resistance). These people actually have a 300 percent higher risk of suffering heart problems or early death than metabolically healthy, normal-weight people, so the researchers wanted to explore how a person’s phenotype (or body type) impacts his or her risk level.

And it turns out that where the body stores fat can be a major predictor of an unhealthy metabolism. Normal-weight individuals who stored more fat in their lower body (read: hips and thighs) seemed to be protected from these metabolic health problems, as opposed to those who stored their fat predominantly around their midsection.

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“The hips and thighs offer ‘safe storage’ for fat, stopping it from getting into the blood and reaching the organs,” study co-author Norbert Stefan from the University Hospital Tübingen in Germany told the Daily Mail. It stays put in relatively harmless places unlike belly fat, which is much more dangerous because it’s sitting right up against all of the vital organs in your body cavity.

About 20 percent of normal-weight people are actually metabolically unhealthy, according to the researchers, so these findings are relevant for a surprisingly large chunk of the population. This is why the “skinny fat” phenomenon is so important. Just because you wear smaller clothing sizes doesn’t mean body fat storage isn’t putting you at risk for health problems. And when you think you’re thin and have nothing to worry about, you’re likely paying less attention to these potential risks, which can make matters worse.

But for those of you who have curvy hips and thighs, do your best to embrace them because they’re actually protecting your health in a pretty awesome way. Plus, they put some envious oomph in your sexy dance moves. Win-win.