Women of European ancestry with a genetic tendency to store more fat around the hips and thighs have a 15.5% lower risk of developing polycystic ovary syndrome, likely due to better insulin regulation and lower leptin levels, compared to those with different fat distribution patterns.

In individuals with polycystic ovary syndrome, a specific type of body fat around the hips and thighs appears to lower risk primarily by improving how the body responds to insulin, with fasting insulin levels accounting for most of this protective effect.

People with more fat around the abdomen compared to fat around the hips and thighs have a higher likelihood of developing polycystic ovary syndrome.

Higher levels of the hormone leptin explain about half of why fat stored around the hips and thighs is linked to a lower risk of polycystic ovary syndrome, as leptin influences how the body manages energy and reproductive hormones.

Women with PCOS are more sensitive to the negative effects of fat in the blood — their muscles struggle much more to use sugar when fat levels rise, compared to women without PCOS.

Increased levels of sex hormone-binding globulin, which is influenced by fat stored in the hips and thighs, reduce the amount of free testosterone in the body, and this mechanism accounts for about 25% of why this fat distribution is linked to a lower risk of polycystic ovary syndrome.