Belly Fat (Apple Shape) vs. Bottom Fat (Pear Shape)

One common question that clients ask me is "Which type of fat is worse, belly fat or bottom fat?"  Well, it depends on what you mean by worse... If you mean harder to lose, then the answer is bottom fat, but if you mean a more negative impact on health, then the answer is belly fat by a considerable margin.  Big bellies are a sign of visceral fat - the kind of fat that surrounds and essentially "suffocates" your abdominal organs (liver, pancreas, kidneys, etc.), preventing them from functioning effectively.  Visceral fat also increases the body's resistance to the hormones leptin and insulin which control hunger and sugar metabolism, respectively. This creates a viscious cycle - belly fat causes hormone activity which tricks the body into thinking it is hungry, which leads to eating in excess, which creates more belly fat.  Furthermore, inadequate sleep can increase belly fat, and belly fat can in turn lead to sleep apnea or other disorders which disrupt normal sleep patterns needed for maintaining a healthy weight.  The good news is that belly fat responds pretty quickly to exercise.  Bottom fat takes more time to lose, but it poses much less of a health problem than belly fat.  It is belly fat which greatly increases the risk of heart disease/heart attack, diabetes, and other chronic diseases.

Belly Fat (apple) vs Bottom Fat (pear)

Here is more detailed info from outside sources on the difference between "Belly Fat vs. Butt Fat":