Like Dragon, men tend to be apple-shaped and carry more belly fat, known as visceral fat.

CNN: When you're losing weight, where does the fat go?

Professor Khan said it was possible that subcutaneous fat offset the effects of visceral fat.

BBC: Type of body fat 'boosts health'

In contrast, moving abdominal visceral fat to other parts of the body had no effect.

BBC: Type of body fat 'boosts health'

Even with a healthy BMI, for example, such people may harbor a lot of visceral fat, deep in their abdomen, a type of fat that is particularly dangerous to health, since it secretes hormones and substances that can hamper insulin's ability to break down sugar.

CNN: Obesity paradox: Why being thin with diabetes is dangerous

He said it was still important that people tried to control their weight, as healthy lifestyle choices like a balanced diet and taking exercise would overwhelmingly impact on visceral, and not subcutaneous fat levels.

BBC: Type of body fat 'boosts health'