The next time you ask ‘Does my bum look big in this?’, the answer you should be looking for is a ‘yes’, as apparently a big butt is good for your health.

While women may bemoan the size of their derriere, new research from UK scientists reveals having a big bottom is good for you. According to their findings, carrying fat around the backside and thighs reduces the effect of harmful proteins which cause inflammation and artery clogging.

So women with an ample posterior are less likely to develop heart disease and diabetes, meaning well-rounded celebrities such as J-Lo and Beyonce are healthier role models for women than ultra-skinny models like Kate Moss.

The researchers found that a larger rear is preferable to extra fat around the stomach which sadly gives no such protection.

Gluteofemoral fat around the lower body is hard to break down and the slower-burning hip fat makes more of a hormone that protects the arteries and promotes better blood sugar control and fat burning.

Study leader Dr Konstantinos Manolopoulos, of Oxford University, said: ‘The fat around our thighs and hips is different to the fat we accumulate around our tummy. There is ‘good’ fat and ‘bad’ fat – just like there is good and bad cholesterol.

‘The cells in lower body fat work differently from the cells in upper body fat – so it could be said that celebrities like J-Lo are better role models for women’s health than supermodels who have much less lower body fat.’

Amy Lindsay – MyFaceMyBody.com Journalist