some relevant info:
http://www.thecouriermail.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,2048095%5E954,00.html
Women with big bottoms live longer
28may01
A BIGGER bottom is a sure sign of good health in women, according to Swedish research.
A 25-year study of hundreds of women found those with larger hips were less likely to have heart attacks, diabetes or cardiovascular disease – even if this meant they had larger bottoms, too.
The research – conducted at Gothenburg University in Sweden and being presented at an international conference on obesity in Vienna this week – found that women with a hip measurement of 103cm or more suffered less ill health than their slimmer counterparts.
The findings do not mean fat is good. They show “apple-shaped” women – with fat accumulated around their tummies – are more likely to die prematurely from a range of health problems.
The research involved women aged between 38 and 60 when they had their vital statistics measured in 1968 and 1969.
They were followed up 25 years later to find out whether they were still alive and if they had suffered from diabetes, heart attacks or cardiovascular disease.
Professor Lauren Lissner, the nutritional epidemiologist behind the research, said there was also some evidence that a larger bottom and thighs put women at less risk of developing osteoporosis and angina. This is thought to be because of the different ways the body deals with fat deposits in different parts of the body.
In apple-shaped women, it is constantly broken down and reformed to circulate in the blood, triggering problems such as heart disease. Fat around the bottom and thighs does not break up in the same way and is therefore much safer.
Professor Mike Lean, a nutritionist at Glagow University, welcomed the research yesterday.
“It seems that the hip measurement indicates the opposite to the waist,” he said. “Having a big waist is a risk factor but having big hips, compared to what we thought might have been the case, is actually protective.”
Dr Wendy Doyle, of the British Dietetic Association, said she hoped the study would make women want to emulate more natural body shapes – “particularly young women who attempt to become thinner than they should be, at the expense of their health”.