A Big Advantage For Curvy Women

Curvaceous, voluptuous women are more likely to live
longer than their slimmer friends. For good looks and
good health, the feminine ideal really should be an
hourglass figure with well-defined hips. Think
Catherine Zeta-Jones and Sophia Loren.

Belly or butt: Which is better? The shape of your body,
not how much you weigh, is the most powerful predictor
of your health.

It turns out that those wide hips help protect women
against potentially fatal heart conditions, according
to researchers from the Institute of Preventative
Medicine in Copenhagen. Why? Hip fat appears to contain
a beneficial natural anti-inflammatory protein hormone
called adiponectin that actually prevents arteries from
swelling up and becoming blocked, report the BBC News
and the Manchester Evening News.
Here's the magic number: Your hips need to measure 40
inches with a dress size of 14 for the most benefit.

Overweight? Here's good news! There's actually an
advantage to being just a few pounds over your ideal
weight. Click to find out what it is.

The study: Almost 3,000 men and women aged 35 to 65
took part in the research. In 1987 and 1988 the Danish
researchers measured the participants' height, weight
and body mass index. Through 1998, Danish health
registers were checked to find out which of the
participants suffered cardiovascular problems, while
death records were checked through 2001.

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effect of the "status syndrome" on your health and
happiness.

The results: Compared to the group of women with the
smallest hip circumferences, women with the biggest
were found to have an 87 percent reduction in deaths,
reports the BBC News. The curvier women also had an 86
percent reduced risk of developing coronary heart
disease and a 46 percent reduction in the risk of
cardiovascular disease. Sorry, guys. This benefit is
for ladies only. Large hip circumference was not found
to offer better heart health for men. "It seems that
the protection is not a matter of wide hips, it's the
detrimental effect of narrow hips with a lack of muscle
fat, or bone or a combination of both," study leader
Berit Heitmann told the BBC. "Fat on hips is different
than fat on the abdomen. If you do not have enough of
this fat, you may risk heart attacks."

Call it a Rx for aging beautifully! If you eat these
foods, you'll look 10 years younger. Find out Dr.
Nicolas Perricone's secrets to an age-defying diet.

The classic apple shape where the fat is located in the
belly area really can be dangerous to your health since
fat cells produce chemicals that can change the insulin
system. That in turn raises the risk of diabetes and
heart disease. The study results were published in the
journal Obesity Research.