Explanation For Why Women Store Fat Around The Hips & Men Around The Abdomen

Hormones may provide an explanation for why women store fat around the hips and men store it around the abdomen. Fat around the hips, to some degree, is actually advantageous for women because it provides resources for nourishing pregnancy. However, abdominal fat is an adverse health condition that increases the risk of high blood pressure, high cholesterol and insulin resistance. Gender-related hormone differences and stress responses may help explain patterns of body fat storage in men and women.

Estrogen

Estrogen is the primary female sex hormone. Storing fat around the thighs and hips is associated with estrogen production. Although men and women both produce estrogen, women are more likely to store fat around the hips, because a woman's body produces significantly higher levels of estrogen, particularly during reproductive years. Estrogen increases the size of individual fat cells, which increases the overall percentage of body fat. Estrogen helps women develop a wider pelvic bone for giving birth and encourages fat storage around the hips to accommodate pregnancy.

Testosterone

Testosterone is the primary male sex hormone, produced in both men and women. Higher concentrations of testosterone increase metabolic rate, reduce overall body fat and help maintain muscle tissue. Men are less likely to store fat around the hips, because men can produce up to 40 times more testosterone than women. Testosterone offsets the effects of estrogen, particularly fat storage around the hips. Normal testosterone levels for men range between 300 and 1,200 ng/dL, whereas normal testosterone levels for women range between 30 and 95 ng/dL.

Cortisol

Cortisol is a stress hormone that promotes abdominal fat storage by moving fat from other parts of your body to abdominal fat cell deposits. Men may store fat around the abdomen because they are more likely to respond to stress with a fight-or-flight reaction. The Franklin Institute reports that men are more likely to suffer from the negative health effects of stress and cortisol. During the fight-or-flight response, your adrenal gland releases adrenaline to give you the energy required for fighting or fleeing from the stressor. If the perception of stress lasts longer than a few minutes, the adrenal gland releases cortisol.

Oxytocin

Oxytocin is associated with cooperative and nurturing behavior, which oppose the effects of the fight-or-flight response. Oxytocin is the hormone associated with the tend-and-befriend response to stress. Women are more likely to respond to stress by protecting and nurturing their young, and seeking social contact and support from others, says the Franklin Institute. Women may be less likely to store fat around the abdomen than men because oxytocin may protect against the negative effects of stress and cortisol.