Scientists say the way men’s bodies are built and even where they store fat helps them lose weight more easily than women.

Ladies, if you ever pit yourself against a male partner, sibling, or friend in a weight loss competition, don’t be surprised when you encounter a harsh reality.

Men lose weight faster than women.

New research suggests men also garner more health benefits than women when they lose weight, too.

A study in the journal Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism detailed the weight loss results of more than 2,200 overweight adults in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.

Each of the adults also had prediabetes, a condition marked by slightly elevated blood sugar levels. People with prediabetes are at a higher risk for eventually developing type 2 diabetes.

During the eight-week study, these adults followed an 800-calorie diet of mostly soups, shakes, hot cereals, and low-calorie vegetables.

At the end, men lost 16 percent more weight than women — about 26 pounds compared with an average of 22 pounds for women.

Additionally, 35 percent of the men and women in the study had normal blood glucose levels and fell out of the prediabetes classification.

However, that’s not where the good news for the men ends.

As a group, the men had a lower heart rate and less body fat. They also ended with a lower risk for diabetes than the women did.

The low-calorie diet had other impacts on the women in the study and they were not entirely positive.

Women experienced larger reductions in their high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, also known as the “good” type of cholesterol.

They also showed larger reductions in bone mineral density, which can lead to weaker bones.

Their lean body mass also decreased, which slows the metabolism and can slow weight loss.

The type of fat the men in the study lost was also healthier than the type of fat females lost.

Men typically carry their weight in their midsection. This is called visceral fat. When your body sheds visceral fat, it actually supercharges your metabolism and helps you burn more calories. It’s a fat loss win-win.

Women, however, tend to carry their fat around their hips, thighs, and butt. This type of fat, called subcutaneous fat, is important for childbearing and menstruation, but it does nothing for your metabolic health when you lose it.

That’s unfortunate because, in the study, women did lose more inches from their hips than men.