The fact that women and men put on weight differently has been known for a long time. But why the fat storage is different between men and women are now closed to being revealed by researchers. The reason behind this is our genes. Fat is genetically different in men and women. ”Given the difference in gene expression profiles, a female fat tissue won’t behave anything like a male fat tissue and vice versa,” says Deborah Clegg of UT Southwestern Medical Center, in Dallas, Texas. She continues, ”The notion that fat cells between males and females are alike is inconsistent with our findings.”
The researchers have used mice in the study, since mice store their fat similar to humans in a sexually dimorphic pattern. And just like humans, female mice store fat in their hips, thighs and buttocks, while male mice store their fat in the belly and midsection area. ”We found that out of about 40,000 mouse genes, only 138 are commonly found in both male and female fat cells. This was completely unexpected. We expected the exact opposite – that 138 would be different and the rest would be the same between the sexes.”
”The research being performed by Dr. Clegg and colleagues underscores the importance of understanding the differences in fat deposition in men and women,” says Viviana Simon from Society for Women’s Health Research.
But how can we make use of these findings? Simon adds ”The ability to manipulate how and where in the body fat is deposited holds the promise of helping researchers develop strategies to prevent or delay the development of chronic conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease.”
The findings appeared in the International Journal of Obesity, and will surely have future effect on how to prevent medical diseases as well as the huge health threat that obesity is holding.
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