Men and women tend to store body fat in different areas: men more around the abdomen, and women more around the hips and thighs.

This study found that men tend to carry more fat around their belly, while women carry more around their hips and thighs — just like the claim says. It also showed that these differences are real and affect heart health.

Scientists found that men and women store fat in different places because their fat cells have different genetic instructions—men’s genes make them store more fat around the belly, while women’s genes make them store more around the hips and thighs.

This study shows that women naturally store more fat around their hips and thighs, while men tend to store more around their belly—this is why the study found that hip/thigh fat protects women from certain health problems, supporting the idea that men and women store fat in different places.