8/8/2019 39,862 Reasons Men and Women Get Fat...Differently

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39,862 REASONS MEN AND WOMEN GET FAT…DIFFERENTLY

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Jed Diamond, Ph.D. has been a health-care professional for the last 45 years.He is the author of 9 books, including Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places,Male Menopause, The Irritable Male Syndrome, and Mr. Mean: Saving Your

Relationship from the Irritable Male Syndrome . He offers counseling to men,women, and couples in his office in California or by phone with people throughoutthe U.S. and around the world. To receive a Free E-book on Men’s Health and afree subscription to Jed’s e-newsletter go to www.MenAlive.com . If you enjoy myarticles, please subscribe. I write to everyone who joins my Scribd team.

When I joined Weight-Watchers a number of years ago, it was evident that lotsof us were overweight, but that men and women got fat for different reasons andheld fat in different parts of our bodies. Now new studies on gene research can helpus understand why, and what we can do to stay slim.

39,862 ReasonsMEN AND WOMEN GET FAT…DIFFERENTLY

WASHINGTON, D.C. (August 25, 2010) – Ever wonder why men and womengain weight in different areas of the body? Researchers are coming close tounderstanding the vital sex differences in men and women concerning fatstorage. In fact, research indicates that fat is genetically different in men andwomen.

A groundbreaking medical study from members of the SWHR-Isis Fund Networkon Sex Differences and Metabolism sponsored by the Society for Women’s

Health Research (SWHR), the nation’s leading advocate for the study of sexdifferences, uncovers new truths about fat deposition in male and female mice.

"Given the difference in gene expression profiles, a female fat tissue won'tbehave anything like a male fat tissue and vice versa," said Deborah Clegg,Ph.D., assistant professor of internal medicine at UT Southwestern MedicalCenter. "The notion that fat cells between males and females are alike isinconsistent with our findings."

Mice store their fat similar to humans in a sexually dimorphic pattern. Just likehuman males, male mice store their fat in the belly and midsection area while

females store fat in their hips, thighs and buttocks. Fat around your centralorgans (also known as central adiposity) is the type that is most dangerous for subsequent development of chronic diseases.

Dr. Clegg, the senior author of the study appearing in the International Journal of Obesity , was surprised by the findings. “We found that out of about 40,000mouse genes, only 138 are commonly found in both male and female fat cells,”said Dr. Clegg. “This was completely unexpected. We expected the exact

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opposite - that 138 would be different and the rest would be the same betweenthe sexes.”

This news is especially helpful in determining the underlying causes of obesity-related diseases. Since men are more likely to carry extra weight around their

bellies, they are at higher risk for numerous obesity-related diseases includingdiabetes and heart disease. Women, on the other hand, are usually protectedfrom these disorders until menopause , when their ovarian hormone levels dropand fat storage tends to shift from their buttocks to their waists.

“The research being performed by Dr. Clegg and colleagues underscores theimportance of understanding the differences in fat deposition in men andwomen,” said Viviana Simon, Ph.D., SWHR vice president of scientific affairs.“The ability to manipulate how and where in the body fat is deposited holds thepromise of helping researchers develop strategies to prevent or delay thedevelopment of chronic conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease.”

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For more information on the Society for Women’s Health Research pleasecontact Rachel Griffith at 202-496-5001 or Rachel@swhr.org .

The Society for Women’s Health Research (SWHR), a national non-profit organization based in Washington D.C., is widely recognized as the thought leader in women’s health research, particularly how sex differences impact health. SWHR’s mission is to improve the health of all women through advocacy,education and research. Visit SWHR’s website at swhr.org for more information.