Although most men and women put on weight differently, there is little evidence on what makes fat settle in a preferential way.
Body Shapes
Scientists ascertained that there are three specific body shapes:
- The android, or apple shape, is common among men. Fat deposits on the middle section of the body, mostly on the abdomen.
- The gynoid, or pear shape, is more common among women. Fat is deposited on the hips and bottom.
- A third type of body shape, the ovoid, does not differentiate between men and women. Here we can speak of an overall general coverage of body fat.
Although there are many exceptions, we would like to ask two questions:
- Is there a strict specific fat pattern distribution for men and women?
- Which factors influence fat distribution?
The answers are more interesting from the health perspective than from the aesthetic side.
Many factors govern whether you are overweight or underweight. You are genetically overweight if you have a family history of overweight parents or relatives. The nervous system also plays an important role in balancing body weight.
Serotonin is a neurotransmitter involved in processes such as sleep, depression and memory. Its high levels appear to decrease the desire to eat. Endorphin is a neurochemical in the brain with analgesic properties. It can prompt you to eat. They send signals to the brain that induce the need to eat or the contrary. The CCK hormone also transmits brain signals on the state of satiety. It decreases hunger.
While, generally, physical condition and physical activity has a genetic and hormonal influence, fat distribution is influenced by age, genetic inheritance, race, but to a greater extent by gender-specific hormones. They are responsible for the distribution of fat on certain areas of our bodies. Estrogens, for example, which are responsible for the typical female sexual characteristics, will influence fat deposit in the pear format. They deposit on the hips, thighs, and belly, while testosterone will “lead” fat mostly towards the stomach and upper body.
The latest studies show that men's tendency towards the gynoid format has increased in the past 30 years.
One study shows a growth of two inches in men's hips in the past 30 years. According to researchers such as John R. Lee, M.D (specialist in natural progesterone therapy), Dr. Jesse Hanley and Dr. Peter Eckhart, modern life exposes people to increased amounts of estrogen and estrogen-like substances (xenoestrogens or foreign estrogens). Sources of these substances can be plastics, plastic drinking bottles, commercially raised beef, chicken and pork, personal care products, pesticides, herbicides, birth-control pills, spermicides, detergents, canned foods and lacquers. Increased estrogen levels in men not only make their hips fatten but are the main risk factor for disease such as prostate enlargement and cancer.
For women, the android pattern fat distribution also raises questions about hormonal imbalances. These situations are a potential cause of health problems such as polycystic ovary syndrome.
How Can Fat Induce Health Problems?
It is clear that increased body fat affects health. Its distribution on the body influences the state of health of specific organs.
According to its location, fat can be subcutaneous (under the skin) or visceral (around the organs). Visceral fat may interfere with the proper functioning of vital organs. There is a relationship between overall fat deposits and specific fat deposits. Fat around the middle-body section is associated with visceral fat. Abdominal fat is the most serious health risk.
The waist-hip ratio is a method of determining whether there are excessive amounts of upper body fat. It is obtained by dividing the waist measurement by the hip measurement. The upper limits are: 0.95 for men and 0.80 for women. Any values in excess of these figure should be cause alarm.
Apple-shaped fat individuals are exposed to a greater risk of developing obesity-related diseases, as the fat is intra-abdominal and distributed around their stomach and chest. They risk:
- Cardiovascular diseases and hypertension
- Type 2 diabetes
- Respiratory diseases (sleep apnea syndrome)
- Some cancers
- Osteoarthritis
Pear-shaped overweight persons are at greater risk of mechanical problems, as most of their body fat is distributed around their hips, thighs and bottom.
Both apple-shaped and pear-shaped obese persons are likely to develop psychological problems and alteration in the quality of life.
In any case, extra weight can only create problems. The main role in acquiring extra-fat is the food intake that the body cannot burn for various reasons. These include a decreased metabolic rate, low activity level or physical condition. Consequently, it creates fat deposits. The classic solution consists of diet and exercise.
However, in shedding extra weight there are men-women differences. The process appears to be harder for women.
The total mass of the body is made up of fat mass and fat-free mass. The fat mass can be of two types: essential and excess. Essential fat is found in bone marrow, in various organs, and throughout the nervous system.
Women are at a disadvantage, as their physiological processes (that is, their childbearing and hormone functions) require an excess of essential fat, the “sex-specific fat”. Thus the total percentage of body fat is higher. Moreover, this part of essential fat is hard to dislodge. Secondly, women have less calorie-burning muscle than men, which makes it more more demanding for the female to achieve a trimmer figure. Now, girls, don't use this as an excuse!