18 January 2015 - Daily Mail - Fat found in women's bottoms helps to build babies' brains: Scientists say curvy girls produce more intelligent children

The age-old riddle of why women are fatter than men may have been solved – they need curvy thighs, hips and buttocks to make their babies intelligent, a study claims.

These ‘fat banks’ play a vital role in fuelling the development of newborns’ brains via breast-feeding, say the academics.

Professor Will Lassek, a public-health epidemiologist at Pittsburgh University, Pennsylvania, who led the research, explained: ‘The fat in these areas is a depot for building a baby’s brain.

‘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.’