Most of us think of fat (AKA adipose tissue) as our body’s kitchen cabinet – an excess calorie storage system that can be sink if we find ourselves in a top, or in a long -way growth. While this is partially true, there are different types of body fat that serve for different purposes.
So, if you are losing body fat or maintaining a low percentage of fat in the body, you can prevent some of the normal functions of your body, such as blood circulation and the repair and construction of new cells.
“Fat is one of the main blocks of the construction of a living, functioning person,” explains Dr. Gillian Goddard, MD, a general endocrinologist and assistant assistant professor of medicine at NYU Langone Hospital. “Fat is not definitely just an inert storage for excess energy or excess calories.”
Learn about the role of body fat and how its different types change.
1. White fat
“White fat cells are large blocks with a large lipid (fatty) point in the middle and a small edge of cell machinery,” Goddard explains. White fat is the type that mainly provides storage for excess energy.
There are two forms of white fat that you are probably familiar with: subcutaneous and visceral.
Subcutane
For most people, subcutaneous fat is mainly made of white fat cells and is the layer of adipose tissue just under your skin. It is mostly found in your arms, feet and belly, maintaining excess calories and helping you keep warm as a natural layer of insulation.
“When you maintain a healthy body weight, subcutaneous fat does not tend to be metabolically harmful or contribute to insulin resistance,” Goddard says. In accordance with the movement of body positivity, it is entirely possible to have curves and be capable.
That is to say, if you’ve ever seen a picture of yourself and have been thinking twice to post it because of the dark skin on your feet (aka cellulite), the subcutaneous fat is the fault. Cellulite occurs when fat pushes through the connective tissue under your skin.
Visceral fat
If you want to market a type of fat like “bad fat”, visceral fat or deep fat would be it. Madhe made entirely of white fat cells and shapes in your abdomen and around your organs. Having some visceral fat is normal, but excess amounts can increase the risk of diabetes and other serious illnesses, such as liver dysfunction.
“Visceral fat is one of the biggest contributing factors for health implications derived from excess body fat,” says Goddard.
Perhaps the most clear story of excess visceral fat is to have a difficult “beer” belly, but you also need to pay attention to the size of the waist. If you are a woman with a waist circumference greater than 35 inches or a man with waist circumference greater than 40, you are likely to have enough visceral fat to adversely affect your health.
2.
One of the biggest changes in determining the types of body fat over the past decade – and potentially more confusing – has been the addition of a new category: brown fat.
Compared to white fat, brown fat cells have a small drop of lipids and much denser cellular ingredients, which is why they appear brown. These ingredients include mitochondria, where fatty acids and glucose (sugar) are burned, produce heat.
Despite all your prejudices about lazy fat cells, this is a type of active metabolic fat, which is currently being studied for its possible use in the treatment of overweight.
“In the past, it was thought that only babies had brown fat,” Goddard explains. “However, adults also have brown fat.” Brown fat helps regulate body temperature, which is why babies have so much of it. But after developing muscles to help you keep warm, you lose most of this “baby fat”.
In adults, it is found in areas where your neck connects to your torso, over your clavicle and below the spine. The amount also varies among individuals.
While this type of fat burns calories, it is complicated to earn. No doubt it does not include ice cream drinks, unfortunately.
“Researchers have found that exposing yourself to cold temperatures can help build it,” Goddard says. But it’s not simple enough to go for a run on a cold morning with shorts – or staying in the refrigerator section that debates ice cream aromas. Some studies have found prolonged exposure to temperatures of 60 degrees or less can cause its production.
3. Beige fat
When it comes to the sebaceous spectrum, the beige fat occupies a kind of gray area. Research suggests that mice are able to transform white fat cells into what is known as beige fat, and that this “coloring” of white fat cells can also occur in humans.
Typically found in pea -size deposits near kolarbon and spine, beige fat is like brown fat in that calorie burns and produces heat. But even like brown fat, beige fat is a relatively recent discovery and much about it remains unknown, says Goddard.
