Mom's bigger bum = smarter baby?

It's been the butt of all jokes in our office today: Fat found in women's bottoms helps to build babies' brains: Scientists say curvy girls produce more intelligent children, from The Daily Mail, highlights the research of William Lassek, a professor in the department of epidemiology at the University of Pittsburgh and co-author of Why Women Need Fat.

Lassek explained that the fat in a woman's buttocks and thighs is especially suited to building a baby's brain: "You need lots of fat to make a nervous system, and the fats in these areas are also enriched in DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), which is a particularly important component in the human brain." And David Bainbridge, a reproductive biologist at Cambridge University, notes: "Women with larger thighs have higher levels of these lipids. There is even evidence that they and their children are more intelligent as a result."

In all seriousness, we think it's pretty cool that women's bodies do this. Just one more reason to not feel bad about a little extra junk in your post-baby trunk.