If muscle weighs more than fat...

[zoom-zoom]

(2) why wouldn't women's bodies also retain fat around their breasts, to protect their born children?

Well, for one...fat doesn't make milk, otherwise women with A cups wouldn't be able to breastfeed.

I've always gained and lost weight pretty evenly all over my body. I have a couple of stubborn spots. And my boobs are the first place I gain and the last I lose--which isn't a great thing, given that I'm a D cup AFTER breast reduction surgery.

I would wager that our fat gain/loss patterns have a lot to do with body type...mesomorph, endomorph, ectomorph. I'm mostly a mesomorph. Most of my dad's side are endomorphs. My mom is a mesomorph (though with age she's starting to carry weight more in her middle...mostly because she is so inactive), brother is a mesomorph, sister is an endomorph.

[OakLeaf]

Well, for one...fat doesn't make milk, otherwise women with A cups wouldn't be able to breastfeed.

Fat doesn't make babies either ... my point was that when fat is broken down for nutrition, it's carried by the bloodstream, and I'm not aware of any advantage in fat being deposited near the organ it's supposed to be feeding. If that were the case then our brain would be near our lungs, right? And if the idea has to do with physically insulating the organ from traumatic injuries, then it would be even more important around the breasts than in the abdominal area?