Bubba Sparx, who rapped verses about "Ms. New Booty," and Sir Mix-A-Lot, who professed, "I like big buts and I cannot lie," may have been on to something after all. New research suggests that those who "pack much back" may carry not only extra weight but also greater intelligence and resistance to chronic illnesses. 

A study from the University of Oxford revealed that women with bigger butts have distinct advantages over women who have flat rears, and not just the ability to fill out a pair of jeans. Those with inflated derrières have lower insulin resistance, and they produce hormones that better metabolize sugar -- which means these women are less likely to develop heart problems or diabetes than women who carry extra weight around their stomachs. These women also tend to have lower cholesterol; and they tend be smarter, because they produce more Omega 3 fats, which mobilizes brain development.

Researchers indicate that fat in the lower body is preferred to fat anywhere else throughout the body. Dr. Michael Jensen, director of endocrine research at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. stated that the fat of pear-shaped women behaves in healthy ways, and that the public should think about fat "as an important organ for our health."

"It is the protective role of lower body, that is [thigh and backside] fat, that is striking. The protective properties of the lower body fat depot have been confirmed in many studies conducted in subjects with a wide range of age, BMI and co-morbidities," ABC News said, quoting the Journal of Obesity.

Dr. Robert Kushners, medical specialist in obesity at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, clarified that fat in the stomach is "more metabolically active," therefore harmful, while fat in the lower regions may be more stable.

Experts have been unclear on whether lower region shapeliness is healthier than being thin, but they did indicate that those who are thin have no health advantages over those his carry weight in their lower body.