A new research ha suggested that becoming obese may be part of human body's protection against the awful effects of unhealthful eating.

In recent years, the majority of rich nations, and a few poorer ones, witnessed a considerable increase in so-called "metabolic syndrome", whose symptoms consist of insulin resistance, high blood cholesterol and an augmented risk of diabetes, heart problem plus stroke.

It is also known that the set of symptoms goes hand in hand with obesity, but exactly how all these conditions are connected is not clear.

In order to establish the effects of obesity itself, Roger Unger and Philipp Scherer, both at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, reviewed several recent studies of the role of fat cells in humans and mice.

Particularly, the pair analyzed the fates of people with a genetic condition, which means they can't fabricate their own fat cells and mice genetically engineered to have low supplies of these cells and fed a diet, which would make normal mice overweight.

They found that, despite not being overweight, both have a propensity for developing metabolic syndrome earlier on in life than their overweight, overfed counterparts.

This resulted Unger and Scherer to conclude that fatness defend the human body from the effects of overeating by providing somewhere secure to deposit the dietary deluge of fat and sugar, which in excess quantity is lethal to a lot of body tissues.

The results of the research have been released in Trends in Endocrinology and Metabolism. (With Input from Agencies)