NEW YORK: Like it or not, slick shape is the best for health. A new study
has found that the type of fat responsible for producing the pear shape showed
off by celebrities like Beyonce and Jennifer Lopez can actually protect women
from a number of serious diseases.
Researchers at Harvard Medical School have carried out the study and found that
buttock and hip fat may help prevent Type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure -
but women "with an apple shape" are more prone to diabetes and heart disease.
In fact, the researchers have based their findings on an analysis of laboratory
rodents who were injected with hip and buttock fat taken from other mice - they
found that the rodents easily lost weight and made better use of insulin.
"The surprising thing was that it wasn't where the fat was located; it's the
kind of fat that was the most important variable. "I think it's an important
result because not only does it say that not all fat is bad, but I think it
points to a special aspect of fat where we need to do more research," lead
researcher Ronald said.
However, having an apple shape may be detrimental to health for women. "The
apple shape is definitely more dangerous. This is because tummy fat is packed
around organs like the liver and the pancreas," said Jeff Halevy, certified
fitness coach based in Manhattan..
In fact, being an "apple" isn't necessarily a health deterrent, he says, so long
as there aren't any extra pounds on board. Angelina Jolie, Tyra Banks, Catherine
Zeta-Jones and Drew Barrymore all have classic apple shapes, he explains, but
they're thin so they cover it up.
