Get large bottom to fight diabetes and heart problems

Researchers believe the type of fat that accumulates around the hips and buttocks, rather than around your stomach, may offer some protection against developing the disease.

But fat that collects around the stomach, known as visceral fat and often resulting in a 'beer belly', can raise a person's risk of diabetes and heart disease.

That means people with pear-shaped bodies, with fat deposits in the buttocks and hips, are likely to be less prone to these disorders, concluded the research at Harvard Medical School.

Scientists believe that the more beneficial fat, called subcutaneous fat because it collects just under the skin, may help to improve sensitivity to the hormone insulin, which regulates blood sugar levels.

Dr Ronald Kahn, who led the research published in Cell Metabolism, said obesity in subcutaneous areas - the 'pear' shape - might decrease risks.

He carried out experiments by artificially switching the two types of fat around the body of mice and seeing what effect it had.