We all know how difficult it is to lose that post-pregnancy weight. At times, we even feel guilty when we're unsuccessful. But mums with big hips and bums should stop beating themselves up over their voluptuous bodies.
Why? Because scientists have now found that having fat on your thighs and bottom is great for your baby's brain development and chances of survival.
Do Mums With Big Hips Make Smart Kids?
Scientists claim that your baby's brain development depends on the fat that is directly stripped from your thighs and bottoms. This is especially true for breastfeeding mums.
Mums, you know that the fat on your thighs and hips is the most difficult to lose. But your ability, and that of other women, to hold on to fat on your legs and hips is a crucial element in the evolution of intelligence.
Scientists at the University of Pittsburgh have the research to prove it. So mums with those wide Asian hips, don't think about losing them just yet.
The fat in women with big hips is a depot for building a baby’s brain
Professor Will Lassek is a public health epidemiologist at Pittsburgh University. His latest research was about the link between DHA intake and intelligence. The findings were published in science papers and also in a book called Why Women Need Fat.
He says, “You need lots of fat to make a nervous system and the fats in these areas are also enriched in DHA [docosahexaenoic acid] which is a particularly important component in the human brain. It looks as if women have evolved to accumulate these fats and hold on to them - until a baby arrives.”
He further explains that when a mum is nursing, this stored fat gets into action. As a result, the DHA stored here gets used by the growing brain for healthy development.
Amazingly, of the total DHA requirement for a baby, 80 per cent comes from a breastfeeding mum's stored fat. Moreover, DHA is less than one per cent of your body fat and that's why a lot of it needs to be shifted. This leads to lactating mums usually losing weight faster than those who do not breastfeed.
At the same time, mums, don't forget that maintaining a healthy BMI is also crucial to living a happy, healthy life with your loved one.
Isn't this just the kind of good news you needed right now? So all the women with big hips, especially the ones with the wide Asian hips, be proud of bearing smart children. And the next time someone comments on them, make sure to show them this study.
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