By Our Reporter

LIFESTYLE/FEATURE

Real women don’t just have curves, they also are smarter, live longer and give birth to smarter children, according to a new study.

For study purposes, curvy women were defined as those whose waists are smaller than their hips. The researchers suggest that the fat around fuller hips and thighs holds higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids, which are essential for the growth of the brain during pregnancy. Fat around the waist, on the other hand, may have higher levels of omega-6 fatty acids, which are less suited to brain growth, the researchers said.

The study was published in the journal of Evolution and Human Behavior IN 2007.

Details of their body measurements and their scores in cognitive tests were taken. The study was published in the journal of Evolution and Human Behavior.

They found that women with a greater difference between the waist and hips scored significantly higher on tests as did their children.

For study purposes, curvy women were defined as those whose waists are smaller than their hips. The researchers suggest that the fat around fuller hips and thighs holds higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids, which are essential for the growth of the brain during pregnancy. Fat around the waist, on the other hand, may have higher levels of omega-6 fatty acids, which are less suited to brain growth, the researchers said.

Waist fat can also be a contributory factor in diabetes and heart disease, which is why curvy women are also believed to live longer than their straighter counter parts, research shows.

Thinner or linear-shaped women lack both omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids around their waists and hips, which would be likely to boost longevity, but have little effect on intelligence.