Innumerable studies and reports from medical experts tell us that body fat is bad for our health.  Fat not only increases our risk of certain medical conditions, it is also aesthetically undesirable.  Liposuction is one of the most popular plastic surgery procedures, ridding certain areas of the body from stubborn excess fat.  In 2003 alone, 320,000 liposuction surgeries were performed to rid Americans of unwanted fat.  But what if some areas of body fat were good for us?

Researchers are beginning to study the effects of leg fat in heart protection.  “In general being overweight is not a good thing,” says Dr. Wendy Kohrt from the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center.  Dr. Kohrt and her colleagues have begun to study the effects of leg fat on the heart.  The team’s most recent studies, published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, indicate that lower body fat may provide cardiovascular benefits. 

Dr. Kohrt and her medical team of researchers have requested funding from the National Institutes of Health to study the effects of liposuction of leg fat on triglyceride levels.  These experts have designed a study to follow women for one year after having liposuction on their legs to determine the effects of selective fat removal on heart health. 

Dr. Kohrt predicts that post-menopausal women who have undergone leg liposuction will gain weight in the stomach area if weight is not controlled following their plastic surgery procedure.  This is a dangerous place to gain fat, especially after menopause.  The doctor also believed that estrogen may determine where fat accumulates in the body.