Women who tend to accumulate fat on their thighs, hips and buttocks may enjoy extra protection against dementia and stroke, a study has found.
Tests on mice have shown that subcutaneous fat – which sits under the skin and causes cellulite – protects against inflammation-related diseases, including heart disease.
Researchers found that female mice rich in this type of fat had less brain inflammation than male rodents. But when the women got liposuction, their inflammation scores skyrocketed.
Experts aren’t sure why this occurs or whether subcutaneous fat has protective fat, but previous research has linked it to the sex hormone estrogen, which acts as a natural anti-inflammatory agent.
But the study does not suggest that women should gain weight on purpose – as mountains of research show that obesity can increase the risk of chronic conditions such as dementia, stroke and heart disease.
Female mice had higher deposits of subcutaneous fat, the type of fat under the skin, and they showed fewer signs of brain inflammation than male mice with higher deposits of fat around their organs
Evidence is mounting that not all fat is created equal, and what really matters is where you store that fat. The most dangerous type of fat is visceral fat, a solid lining that forms between the organs in the abdomen. This is usually the cause of a beer belly and contributes to an undesirable apple body shape, which is considered the physique most at risk for health problems. Subcutaneous fat, on the other hand, is the wobbly kind of fat that lies just under the skin and causes cellulite
Men are more likely to store body fat around their organs, known as visceral fat, which causes the dreaded “beer belly”.
The researchers behind the latest study say this is partly why men are at much greater risk for inflammatory-related problems, from heart attacks to stroke, than premenopausal women.
Explain: Where you store fat is more important than how much you have
It’s no secret that carrying excess body fat puts you at greater risk for a variety of health problems—but there’s growing evidence that not all fat is created equal, and what really matters is where you store that fat.
During menopause, women produce less estrogen and start storing visceral fat instead of subcutaneous fat. After going through this transition, their risk of chronic disease increased due to the inflammation and then the spikes.
In the latest study, published in the journal Diabetes, researchers from Augusta University in Georgia studied the increase in the amount and location of adipose tissue in male and female rats.
They also looked at levels of sex hormones and brain inflammation at different time intervals when they increased on a high-fat diet.
Because obese female mice, like humans, have more subcutaneous fat and less visceral fat than male mice, they argued that the distinctive fat patterns may be an important reason for the protection against inflammation enjoyed by premenopausal females.
As expected, they saw that male rodents accumulate more visceral fat and females more subcutaneous fat. Men also accumulated more encephalitis than women.
The researchers then compared the effects of the high-fat diet, known to increase inflammation throughout the body, in mice of either sex after undergoing surgery similar to liposuction to remove subcutaneous fat.
They didn’t do anything to directly disrupt normal estrogen levels, like removing the ovaries.
Subcutaneous fat loss increased encephalitis in women without changing estrogen levels and other sex hormones.
Dr. Stranahan said, “When we took subcutaneous fat out of the equation, women’s brains suddenly showed inflammation like men’s brains, and women gained more visceral fat.”
Dr Stranahan said the results suggest more than just estrogen is at play, adding: “When people think of protection in women, the first thing they think of is estrogen.
“But we need to get away from the simplistic idea that every gender difference entails hormone differences and hormone exposure.”
“We really need to think more deeply about the underlying mechanisms for gender differences so that we can address them and see the role that gender plays in different clinical outcomes.”
The study zoomed in on two parts of the brain to record inflammation, the hippocampus and the hypothalamus.
The hippocampus plays an important role in learning and memory, while the hypothalamus regulates hormones and keeps the body in a state of equilibrium known as homeostasis.
The loss of subcutaneous fat can have very different effects on different parts of the brain, which Dr. Stranahan should be investigated.
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Crystal Leahy is an author and health journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a background in health and wellness, Crystal has a passion for helping people live their best lives through healthy habits and lifestyles.
