Obesity is associated with such health problems as diabetes, gallstones, hypertension, and heart disease. Obesity is also linked to colorectal cancer and to breast, uterine, and ovarian cancer in women and prostate cancer in men. Traditionally, obesity was defined as 20 percent or more above an optimal weight for height derived from actuarial statistics that correlated with lowest death rates. Recent research suggests that more important than the amount of extra weight a person carries is where it is located.
Numerous studies show that fat in the hips and thighs is less health threatening than abdominal fat.
While other fat cells empty directly into general circulation, the fatty acid contents of abdominal fat cells go straight to the liver, by way of the portil vein, before being circulated to the muscles. This porcess interferes with the liver's ability to clear insulin from the bloodstream. As blood levels of insulin increase, muscles and other cells become insulin-resistant, and blood glucose levels rise as a result. This sets the stage for the development of diabetes, hypertension, and heart problems. The body has an almost limitless capacity to store fat.