We all have body fat. It's necessary for proper body function. While a healthy percentage of body fat varies greatly, according to the American College of Sports Medicine a healthy range for women under 40 is 20-35%, for men 8-22%. (The ranges change for those over 40 and for fitness standards.)

But a recent study reveals that one fat cell isn't necessarily like another. In obese people, fat cells appear "sick."

Compared to fat cells taken from lean people, the fat cells from obese people were deficient in several ways. For example, the endoplasmic reticulum -- which helps cells synthesize proteins -- was stressed in the fat cells of obese people. This stress of the endoplasmic reticulum could inhibit or change the body's production of protein and could lead to insulin resistance (a contributing factor for obesity).

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Have you ever enviously watched a thin friend, family member or spouse chow down on a decadent dessert while you sip a cup of bitter coffee and wish you didn't have to watch your weight? Have you wondered whey they're so lucky? The answer may be genetic.

A team of researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center have found what they believe may be a "skinny" gene. Dubbed "adipose" by a Yale University student who originally discovered it over 5 decades ago, the gene exists in a range of animals and research shows that its presence causes fruit flies, worms, mice and even human cells to bulk up. That's great news for those that carry the gene in times of famine but not-so-great during times of plenty.

According to the article, researchers hope that one day the gene can be used to help develop a cure or treatment for obesity, but until then we all have to keep eating well and working out. Remember too that skinny doesn't necessarily equal healthy so even if you can eat anything you want and not gain weight, a balanced diet with moderate exercise is the way to stay fit.

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Being skinny might be in your genes, according to a new study. A gene called Adipose (or adp) means the difference between fat and thin in mice and fruit flies, and researchers are wondering if the same could be said for humans in the midst of our obesity epidemic. The gene, when manipulated one way, caused mice to become obese, but when manipulated the other way, made them thin.

For years, researchers have been trying to uncover the 'thrifty gene' -- that is, the gene that causes humans to store food as fat in case of starvation. But this gene is being called the anti-thrifty gene. Of course, a lot more research will have to take place before the findings can be tested on humans, but the results so far are promising.

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