North Carolina: Unhealthy fats, such as those used in processed foods, can alter body shape giving you a fat middle, a new study has found.

Scientists at the Wake Forest University school of medicine in North Carolina carried out research over a six-year period, in which two sets of monkeys were fed either hydrogenated fat and the others given monosaturated fats.

At the end of the study the animals fed the hydrogenated fat diet had a 7.2% incease in body weight, compared with 1.8% for those that consumed monosaturated fats.

The study concluded that people who eat lots of pastries, cakes and ready meals containing hydrogenated fat are likely to put on weight around the stomach and suffer subsequent ill health.

Earlier studies have shown that unhealthy fats contribute to cardiovascular diseases, furring up of the arteries and diabetes.