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Big bottoms are good for your health

By Kasie Davies on Wednesday 13 January 2010

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Jennifer Lopez - News - Marie Claire

It's time to embrace your curves, as health experts announce that having a big bottom and shapely thighs could be good for a woman's health.

Studies show that having a generous derriere - as opposed to a big tummy - cuts levels of ‘bad cholesterol and increases levels of ‘good' cholesterol needed to safeguard against hardening of the arteries.

What's more, it also cuts the risk of diabetes, according to the report published in the International Journal of Obesity.

The researchers from Oxford University came to this conclusion after gathering various studies on the health benefits of lower body fat compared to fat stored around the middle.

Their findings included the belief that it may act as a ‘buffer', mopping up fats that could have a dangerous effect elsewhere in the body.

Another idea was that lower body fat breaks down more slowly than belly fat. Not ideal if you're trying to shift weight, but it does mean fewer chemicals called inflammatory cytokines are produced that are linked to heart disease, diabetes and obesity.

Fotini Rozakeas of the British Heart Foundation said: ‘The research helps us better understand how fat acts in the body in order to develop new approaches in reducing heart and circulatory disease.

‘If you are overweight, obese, or if your waist size has increased, it is important to make changes to your lifestyle, such as healthy eating and doing regular physical activity, to reduce your risk of heart health problems.'

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Wednesday 13 January 2010