Where
fat is concentrated in your body depends upon
whether you are a man or woman:
-
An adult man tends to carry body fat in his
chest, abdomen and buttocks, producing an "apple"
shape.
-
An adult woman tends to carry fat in her breasts,
hips, waist and buttocks, creating a "pear"
shape.
The
difference in fat location comes from the sex
hormones estrogen and testosterone. Fat cells are
formed in the developing fetus during the third
trimester of pregnancy, and later at the onset of
puberty, when the sex hormones "kick in." It is
during puberty that the differences in fat
distribution between men and women begin to take
form.
One amazing fact is that fat cells generally do not
generate after puberty -- as your body stores more
fat, the number of fat cells remains the same. Each
fat cell simply gets bigger! (There are two
exceptions: the body might produce more fat cells
if an adult gains a significant amount of weight or
has liposuction performed.)
