Research
Energy balance
Lower body fat distribution is independently associated with a reduced risk of metabolic complications, likely due to its greater capacity to store dietary fat and suppress FFA release.
If you store fat in your legs and hips (lower body obesity), you are likely metabolically healthier than someone with the same BMI who stores fat in their belly. Do not try to specifically reduce lower body fat, as this may remove your body's protective fat storage capacity.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
It is also recognized that increasing amounts of lower body fat are independently associated with a reduced risk of metabolic complications.
Why this rating
Supported by multiple observational studies cited (Snijder, etc.).
Source
Role of Body Fat Distribution and the Metabolic Complications of Obesity
Michael D. Jensen · The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism · 2008
DOI 10.1210/jc.2008-1585
narrative_reviewCited 690×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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