Just about everyone knows that fat gained around the midsection is associated with disease risk. Women have been told that gaining weight on their hips and thighs is not the same risk. A new study suggests otherwise.

The research comes from a ten year Danish study¹ of 27 178 men and 29 876 women, ages 50 to 64. The researchers found that hip circumference in women was directly associated with an increased risk for life-threatening blood clots in veins. While this is only one type of heart-related disease, it does show that extra weight on the hips is not benign.

Extra fat invariably leads to extra estrogen production. Higher-than-normal estrogen promotes dangerous blood clotting. The findings of this study are thus not surprising.

Excess weight no matter where it is located is not healthy.