
I read recently that in later life your chances of survival are increased if you have a higher than recommended BMI. We are advised to keep our BMI within a healthy range in order to avoid the development of obesity related diseases such as Type 2 Diabetes and heart disease but actually it seems that a covering of blubber could be beneficial if you are over 65. This is of course down to your resilience when struck down by illness or when the winter cold sets in. If you have some fat reserves your body can survive for longer. A big bottom doesn’t just make people bootilicious. Subcutaneous fat, found on the bottom, thighs and hips, helps to improve the body’s sensitivity to the hormone insulin, which regulates blood sugar.
However, this doesn’t mean that your life’s work can be dedicated to getting fat in preparation for your twilight years. The opposite is very much the case if you are younger. A round middle can indicate that your organs are covered in dense visceral fat, and in order to reduce the incidence of this health baddie you need to eat well and exercise. The result of this is obviously a reduction of both types of fat. In fact a better indicator of your general health and likelihood to develop Type 2 Diabetes is your waist circumference. A woman’s waist shouldn’t be any bigger than 80cm and men should think about losing weight if their waist circumference is above 94cm. Find out more.
So, overall you should aim to be less fat all over until you get a bit older when you should try to remain trim but not worry too much about a spot of cellulite. You are somewhat protected from metabolic diseases by your bottom fat and are likely to be more resilient if you do become ill.
However, this doesn’t mean that your life’s work can be dedicated to getting fat in preparation for your twilight years. The opposite is very much the case if you are younger. A round middle can indicate that your organs are covered in dense visceral fat, and in order to reduce the incidence of this health baddie you need to eat well and exercise. The result of this is obviously a reduction of both types of fat. In fact a better indicator of your general health and likelihood to develop Type 2 Diabetes is your waist circumference. A woman’s waist shouldn’t be any bigger than 80cm and men should think about losing weight if their waist circumference is above 94cm. Find out more.
So, overall you should aim to be less fat all over until you get a bit older when you should try to remain trim but not worry too much about a spot of cellulite. You are somewhat protected from metabolic diseases by your bottom fat and are likely to be more resilient if you do become ill.