If you've got a little cush in your tush and are thinking about dropping a few pounds, you might not want to go too lean, because U.S. researchers announced yesterday that a type of fat that accumulates around the hips and bottom may offer some protection against diabetes.

Subcutaneous fat -- the type that collects just under the skin -- seems to help improve sensitivity to the hormone insulin, which regulates blood sugar. We're not talking visceral fat -- the kind that collects in the abdomen and can raise the risk of diabetes and heart disease. It's the fat that deposits down lower that appears to shelter some people from metabolic disease.

So, not all fat is bad fat. Celebrate that pear-shape if you have one, then. And consider yourself lucky.