Big Butts

No portion of the Journal of Obesity's review definitively stated that women with big butts were "healthier" or "smarter" than other women, and the authors simply contrasted findings about gluteofemoral fat versus abdominal fat (while other body types, or absence of either kind of fat, were not mentioned):

big butts

That research largely pertained to "waist-to-hip ratio" and not just the presence of large derrieres. The same physiological profile was examined by the University of Pittsburgh and the University of California, Santa Barbara, in 2007 research [PDF] published in the journal Evolution and Human Behavior. Again, in that research waist-to-hip ratio (rather than big butts) was the scientific focus:

So, research undertaken in 2010 contrasting central obesity with gluteofemoral fat stores was widely misinterpreted several years later to suggest that women with big butts were "smarter and healthier" than other women. In fact, the research simply reviewed already-published data about different types of obesity and suggested further study based on a collected series of prior findings, and no portion of the 2010 review undertaken at Oxford University pertained to intellect. Research published in 2007 and 2008 similarly looked at waist-hip ratio but never claimed women with "big butts" were "smarter."

Thanks to some new research, women with big butts have a lot to celebrate. The University of Oxford examined the health and intelligence of larger bottomed women as well as those with smaller backsides and they've come to some interesting conclusions. For one thing, the scientists found that the ladies with the bigger butts are actually healthier than those without. They have lower cholesterol, lower levels of glucose and are more resistant to chronic illnesses. That's not all - the women with the grander glutes are also smarter.

According to a 2010 study from the University of Oxford, big butts result in healthy children because of the high amount of Omega 3 fatty acids (the good fatty acids) stored. These are the same fatty acids that are responsible for the normal development of the baby's brain.

The female baboon's famously red bottomis a sign of sexual readiness; when female baboons ovulate, their butts swell, making it clear to available males that they are fertile. Evolutionary psychologists have even argued that human males share some of the love of red that drives our primate cousins, suggesting that red lipstick and clothing mimics the function of a red baboon butt. (However, research suggests the line between the color red and sexual appeal may not be quite so straightforward.)

Big butts lower risk of disease. The fat that is stored in the butt is generally not dangerous, disease-causing fat. Heart disease, diabetes and a variety of conditions that arise from high cholesterol levels are less common in women with larger bottoms and smaller waists. Women with more meat on their back side tend to have well-balanced cholesterol and sometimes even higher levels of good HDL cholesterol and low levels of harmful LDL cholesterol that can lead to disease including heart attack and stroke. Even type 2 diabetes is less likely with a wider waist-to-butt ratio.

Big butts help with physical activity and support the legs. A bigger bottom works in conjunction with your legs to propel you forward during movement. Plus, your gluteus maximus is a large muscle that can aid in more intense exercise and physical activity. Your big butt can help with everything from walking up stairs to running a marathon.

Big butts store more omega-3 fatty acids. The reserve of this brain and heart-healthy nutrient is great for women and even better for their kids. When new moms with big butts breastfeed, they call on this storage of essential fatty acids to pass along to their babies. Breastfeeding has many advantages for kids, in part due to the transfer of essential fatty acids, including creating smarter children.

Take a look around the animal kingdom. Even our closest living relatives among the great apes (chimpanzees, bonobos, and gorillas), don't have proportionally as big butts as humans do. The main reason for this probably comes down to our unique style of locomotion. We're the only mammals alive today whose primary way of getting around is walking on two legs. And becoming upright bipeds has had some important consequences for our derrières.

The anatomical structure that we generally think of as a "butt" is made up of adipose tissue (fat) sitting on top of our gluteal muscles, which are attached to the bony pelvis. Ultimately, it's the shape of our pelvis that dictates the shape of our butts, and that set of bones has undergone some major changes over the last six-or-so million years. 041b061a72