Most of us think of fat (also known as adipose tissue) as the kitchen cabinet of our body – a storage system for excess calories that we can immerse yourself in when we are in a pinch or on a long hike without a trail mix. While this is partly true, there are different types of body fat that serve different purposes.
So if you are hellish Lose body fat or a low maintenance Body fatYou may inhibit some of the normal functions of your body such as the blood circulation and the repair and construction of new cells.
“Fat is one of the main building blocks of a living, functioning person,” explains Dr. Gillian Goddard, MD, General endocrinologist and additional professor of medicine at the Nyu Langone Hospital. “Fat is definitely not just a sluggish storage for excess energy or excess calories.”
Learn more about the role of body fat and how its different types differ.
1. White fat
“White fat cells are large blobs with a large lipid (fat) droplet in the middle and a small edge of cell machines,” explains Goddard. White fat is the type that mainly offers memory for excess energy.
There are two forms of white fat that you are probably familiar with: subcutaneous and visceral.
Subcutaneous fat
For most people, subcutaneous fat mainly consists of white fat cells and is the layer of adipose tissue directly under their skin. It is mainly to be found in their arms, legs and stomach that kept excess calories and keeps them warm like a natural insulating layer.
“If you care a Healthy body weightSubcutaneous fat does not tend to be metabolic or contribute to this Insulin resistance“, Says Goddard. In accordance with the Body positive movementIt is absolutely possible to have curves and be fit.
That is, if you have ever seen a picture of yourself and thought about it twice Cellulite), subcutaneous fat is to blame. Cellulite occurs when fat presses through the connective tissue under your skin.
Visceral fat
If you want to brand a kind of fat as a “bad fat”, it would be the visceral fat or deep fat. It is only made of white fat cells and shapes in your stomach and your organs. It is normal to have something visceral, but excessive quantities can Increase your risk of diabetes and other serious complaints such as liver dysfunction.
“Viseral fat is one of the greatest factors for health implications that come from excess body fat,” says Goddard.
Perhaps the clearest indication of excess visceral fat is a hard “beer belly”, but you should also pay attention to this Waist. If you are a woman with a waist size of more than 35 inches or a man with a waist size of more than 40, you will probably have enough visceral fat to have a negative impact on your health.
2. Brown fat
One of the biggest changes in the definition of the types of body fat in the past ten years – and possibly the most confusing – was the addition of a new category: brown fat.
Compared to white fat, brown fat cells have a small lipid droplet and much denser cellular components, which is why they appear brown. These components include mitochondria where Fatty acids And glucose (sugar) is burned and produce warmth.
In contrast to all its prejudices on lazy fat cells, this is a metabolic active fat type that is currently being examined for its potential use Treat obesity.
“In the past, it was thought that only infants had brown fat,” explains Goddard. “However, adults also have brown fat.” Brown fat helps to regulate body temperature, which is why babies have so much of it. But as soon as they have developed muscles to keep them warm, they lose most of this “baby fat”.
In adults, it is in the areas in which your neck connects with your upper body over her collarbone and spine. The amount also varies between individuals.
While this type of fat calories burns, it is difficult to win. Unfortunately, it is definitely not about reducing ice cream.
“The researchers have found that the suspension of the cold temperatures can help build them,” says Goddard. But it’s not that easy to drive a run with a cold morning in shorts – or to stand in the freezer where ICE CREAM aromas debate. Some studies have found that lengthy exposure to temperatures of 60 degrees or less can trigger its production.
3 .. beige fat
When it comes to the fat spectrum, beige fat occupies a kind of gray area. Studies intend to that mice are able to convert white fat cells into so -called beiges, and that this “browning” white fat cells “Browning” Could also happen in humans.
Both fat is typically available in pea size deposits near the keybone and the spine and is like brown fat in the fact that it burns calories and generates heat. But like brown fat, beige fat is a relatively recent discovery, and a lot is unknown, says Goddard.
