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It is healthier to be a pear than to be an apple with regard to the shape of the body.
A study on mice seems to show that those who gain weight around their hips (pear-shaped) are better protected against obesity-related diseases than those who accumulate fat around the abdomen ( apple-shaped).
According to the University of California Riverside team, women are more likely to be pear-shaped, while men tend to be more like an apple.
This is because women deposit fat subcutaneously – just below the skin – while men tend to accumulate deeper fat in the visceral area of the body near the internal organs.
Dr. Djurdjica Coss with a member of Nancy Lainez's team (UC Riverside)
The results suggest that women are more protected than men, particularly with respect to neuroinflammation – a microscopic swelling of the nerves of the brain caused by the body's immune system.
Neuroinflammation is the way the body protects itself by causing distressed cells to release SOS signals, but it can be detrimental if it persists for a long time.
Previous research has shown that chronic neuroinflammation is one of the most characteristic features of obesity.
Dr. Djurdjica Coss, associate professor of biomedical sciences at the UCR School of Medicine, and responsible for the study, said, "Although overweight, women are more protected than men in neuroinflammation.
"This could be an evolutionary protection for women, who need more weight change because of pregnancy."
Experiments on mice showed that only men with neuroinflammation were fed a high-fat diet.
In addition, males had low testosterone and decreased sperm count.
Research on mice suggests that it's healthier to be pear-shaped than an apple-shaped (JacobStudio / Getty Images)
Dr. Coss said, "We know that abdominal fat, that is, fat around visceral organs, becomes more inflamed with fat overload.
"This fat then recruits immune cells from the bloodstream that are activated."
The researchers believe that females are better protected against weight gain because of the estrogen-based ovarian hormone, possibly associated with other factors yet unknown.
Dr. Coss says that if the results are based on mouse studies, they are "likely to have applications in humans".
She said: "Mice with a high-fat diet develop a metabolic syndrome – a constellation of conditions including type 2 diabetes and insensitivity to insulin – in the same way as obese humans do.
"Obese men have lower testosterone levels, contributing to low libido, low energy, and reduced muscle strength. We see this in mice too; obese male mice showed a nearly 50% decrease in the number of testosterone and sperm.
"Obese women have difficulties with their menstrual cycles. They do not ovulate. Obese female mice show the same thing, contributing to decreased fertility.
Obesity has also been associated with a decline in mental health and an increased rate of stroke.
According to Dr. Coss, the next step in the research will be to examine the link between abdominal weight and neuroinflammation.
The research is published in Frontiers in Immunology.
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