Scientists from the University of Augusta found that subcutaneous fat protects women from brain inflammation. The research was published in the journal diabetes.
Men of almost all ages have a higher tendency to accumulate fat around the main organs of the abdominal cavity. This type of fat is called visceral fat and by itself increases the level of inflammation in the body.
Biologists studied changes in the body of mice that gained weight with fatty foods. As with humans, obese female mice tend to have more subcutaneous fat and less visceral fat than male mice.
The scientists found no signs of brain inflammation or insulin resistance until the female mice entered menopause. At approximately 48 weeks, females began to accumulate fat in their internal organs. At the same time, the level of estrogen and other sex hormones did not change. This may mean that it is low visceral fat and high subcutaneous fat, not estrogen, that protects against inflammation.