Brain and Beauty in an Hourglass

Scarlett Johansson's figure is an asset in more ways than one. US research has found that women with hourglass figures are mire likely to be intelligent and to have brighter children, too. After examining data from 16,000 women and their children, researchers from the universities of Pittsburgh and California concluded that women with shapely hips and thighs scored higher on intelligence tests than women with linear figures. Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids such as DHA, necessary for brain growth, are stored around the hips and thighs; the researchers believe carrying a little extra in these areas may be a good thing.

"Women with small tummies and big hips and thighs have more what it takes to build brains, and thus tend to be smarter and have smarter children," says study co-author professor Steven Gaulin from the University of California, Santa Barbara. "This hip and thigh fat is primarily metabolised in the third trimester of pregnancy and lactation when babies' brains are being built."

Taken from Readers' Digest, Feb 2008

p.s. Rejoice gals!