Where is body fat stored in the body?

Let’s understand where is body fat stored in the body? There is nothing new to know that excess fat can lead to numerous health condition. Most common are obesity, excess fat gain, body fat. Obesity is main cause for excessive fat gain in the body. So it is very important to understand where is fat stored in the body? So as to treat that fat effectively and to distinguish between healthy and unhealthy fat.

The fat is stored in the body in different parts of the body. The main tissue that stores fat is adipose tissue. Adipose tissue is made up of adipocytes. These are the fat storing cells that stores excess of fat in the body. Which is then utilized when there is scarcity of energy in the body. These fats storing tissue had abundance of energy. These adipose tissue stores body fat in the form of energy.

Here’s the answer to the question that where is body fat stored in the body? It is in adipose tissue,

Types of adipose tissue-

  • White adipose tissue
  • Brown adipose tissue

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where is body fat stored

What is White adipose tissue?

Fat is stored in the body at several locations. The main function of white adipose tissue is to store fat in the form of energy and helps to insulate the body. It is widely distributed in the body as visceral fat, this fat is mostly present in the abdominal cavity. Where organs like liver, intestines, peritoneum walls, and kidneys are present.

Subcutaneous fat (beneath the skin), it is found through out the body in the space between the muscles and skin layers. This protects the unwanted friction that can cause harm to the muscles and continuously supplies energy to the muscles for different activities like waling, writing, and various metabolic activities.

Bone marrow fat, this fat particularly act as cushion to protect organs like heart, bone marrow, eye balls, blood vessel for frictional damage. This is necessary fat in the body. Such fat is also present in palm and feet cavity. This tissue plays primary role in cushioning and insulating the body.

What is Brown adipose tissue ?

This fat is present in most of the infants to regulate body temperature and generates heat in the body. Large number of mitochondria are present in this tissue that plays an important role to generate heat in the body of infants. Mitochondria is the power house of the cell that generates heat in the body. Progressively this brown fat breakdown after years on infants as they grow.

Where is body fat stored in body of adults? In adults this fat is present in neck area, mediastinum, in the cavity of vertebrae. Brown color is due to the abundance of blood vessels and mitochondria in the body part. This fat is present in abundance in infants to perform defense mechanism so as to protect them from hypothermia, and in adults it perform the function of muscle contraction.

Fat in optimal level to perform various metabolic process is ideal, but in certain cases having excessive fat can be problematic. Men and women differ in the location to store excess of fats. Men’s store excess of fat in the abdominal cavity, whereas females store excess of fats in thighs and hip area, when female has normal cycles of menstruation. After menopause women’s also store excess fats in the abdominal cavity.

Hormones also play a very important role to regulate fat deposition and distribution in the body. In females oestrogensdecides the storage of the fats, in puberty excess of fats is stored in the thighs and buttocks area of females, body shape appears as pear shape . this is natural process that actually gives shape to the body in puberty. This fat gets redistributed after menopause in females.

In males testosterone is responsible for fats utilization, most of the lipids are utilized by the testosterone hormone so males have thin lower body as compared to females, but after puberty testosterone level in the body falls which leads to accumulation of fats in abdominal cavity in males. That is why males have big belly and the reason of accumulation of fats in belly region is unclear.

This article studies tissues that stores fat in the body, along with hormonal and genetic factors that affects distribution of fats in the body of male and female.

This percentage varies depending on age, sex, genetic factor of the individual.

While in males 10-20% is considered healthy. And in females 20-30% is recommended. As it may vary on the individual health habits. If the person is involved in any sports activity, then this value may vary accordingly.

Body stores excess fat in the body to store energy. This fat acts as energy reservoir when there is insufficient food intake in the body. When person is on fast, or do not have food intake, in such condition this excess fat can be used as source of energy. However various factors like stress, hormonal imbalance, obesity can be the reason to store excess fat in the body.

High body fat can lead to serious health conditions like high blood pressure, cardiac diseases, diabetes, fatty liver and many more disorder.

Yes, a minimum level of body fat is necessary for healthy body functions, insufficient body fat can lead to conditions like weak immune system, impaired organs, nutritional deficiency in the body and so on.

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