What your WOBBLY BITS really mean

You may think it unsightly, but cellulite is often misunderstood – here’s why

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Skirt pinching your waist? Sweltering in cardigans to hide your arms? While weight gain in certain areas could signal a health concern, you might be reassured to know that not all fat is equally harmful. In fact, cellulite may even protect against some inflammationrelated conditions, such as heart disease and dementia*. What you should do about any lumps and bumps depends on two things: what type of fat it is, and where on your body it’s stored.

Bulges with benefits

‘Women need a minimum amount of body fat for good health,’ says registered nutritional therapist Kate Scott from dnapal.me. So while you might hate what it looks like, cellulite occurs in people of all sizes. Cellulite is subcutaneous fat, which means it lies just under the skin. The opposite type, visceral fat, builds up deeper inside the body around the vital organs.

‘Unlike subcutaneous fat, which acts like harmless padding, visceral fat has the potential to release fatty acids, chemicals and hormones into the blood, which is linked with chronic health issues like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, fatty liver and dementia,’ says Kate.

Get to know your cellulite

Understanding why you store fat in certain areas is the first step to making positive changes.

LARGE THIGHS

WHAT IT MEANS You are naturally prone to cellulite.