Are Those "Body Flaws" Actually Helping You?

The media would have us to believe that all women should be blue-eyed, blonde haired, size twos. I, personally, haven't been a 2 since middle school. But that doesn't mean I'm not healthy - and isn't that what's truly important? Instead of hoping to be someone you aren't, embrace those traits that maybe you once considered flaws. They not only make you uniquely beautiful, but in addition, there might be some real health benefits to them. For instance, do you have an hourglass figure? You may have better luck conceiving! Women with larger breasts and hips and a relatively low waist-to-hip ration have nearly 30 percent higher levels of a reproductive hormone called estradiol. That may make them up to three times more likely to get pregnant, say experts at Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland. Do you have a little junk in your trunk? A little extra padding on your bottom may well protect you against type 2 diabetes. The experts aren't sure why, but the type of fat that accumulates around your butt and thighs seems to produce substances that improve the body's ability to process sugar. Wishing you were taller? Women who have a short stature could have an easier time heading off heart troubles, according to a study in Medical Science Monitor. Women shorter than 5 foot 5 may have a more efficient ticker that facilitates better blood and oxygen flow throughout the body, protecting against hear disease. Wishing you were blue-eyed? Brown-eyed girls have a better chance of not getting ocular melanoma, a form of eye cancer. That';s because dark eyes have more melanin, a pigment that acts as a barrier against the sun's damaging ultraviolet radiation. Give thanks to your body - just the way it is!