2. Heart Disease
Danish researchers found that having a spare tire around your middle may be worse for your heart than being obese. Their study, published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association, found that women with too much belly fat had a higher risk of atherosclerosis than those who carried their fat in their hips, thighs, and buttocks. Belly fat boosts the production of LDL ("bad") cholesterol, which forms plaque in arteries, then becomes inflamed and swells, causing blockages.