Twenty-eight slender men and women were encouraged to gorge themselves on sweets. As they gained weight, the volunteers added new fat cells on their thighs while fat cells on their bellies expanded.
Surprisingly, researchers say the men and women were fairly even on the amount of weight gained on the thighs. Also, once they stopped overeating, the volunteers lost weight quickly.
Researchers are now hoping to better understand the genetic and environmental factors that cause leg fat cells to accumulate.
