Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsTissue TypesBenefitsExcess FatToo Little Fat

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Tissue Types

Benefits

Excess Fat

Too Little Fat

Adipose tissue, also known as fat tissue, cushions the body and protects internal organs. Fat tissue stores unused calories from food until your body needs it for energy. It also produces and releasesleptin, a hormone that prevents you from feeling hungry until your body needs to get more energy from food.

Adipose tissue can be foundunder the skin(subcutaneous adipose tissue) or around the organs (visceral adipose tissue). While having adipose tissue is good, having too much—or too little—adipose tissue is not. People with excess adipose tissue have obesity and are more likely to develop heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and more.

This article explores the types and functions of adipose tissue, along with the health conditions that can result from having too much or too little of it.

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Midsection Of Woman Holding Belly Fat

Types of Adipose Tissue

There are three different types of adipose tissue in your body. Each kind of adipose tissue works differently:

Beige fat is particularly intriguing for researchers, many of whom believe that it may hold the key to fighting obesity and diabetes.

Benefits of Adipose Tissue

Even though some people would like to reduce the amount of adipose tissue that they carry, adipose tissue is important for a healthy body. For example, fatty tissue provides:

Excess adipose tissue is the medical term for obesity. If you have excess adipose tissue, you have a higher risk of developing:

Excess visceral adipose tissue, particularly around the abdominal organs, is associated with a higher risk of death due to any cause.

In fact, according to a study of 3.6 million adults in the UK, life expectancy after age 40 was about four years shorter in people with obesity, compared to people with ahealthy BMI.

Having too little adipose tissue is a rare condition known as lipodystrophy, which can result from genetic causes, or acquired causes likeHIV infection, some autoimmune disorders, and the use of certain medications.

With lipodystrophy, the body improperly stores fat in skeletal muscles and the liver—places that normally hold relatively small amounts of fat.

People with too little adipose tissue can face similar issues to those with excess adipose tissue, including:

Having a lipodystrophy syndrome does not always mean you have zero body fat. Many forms of lipodystrophy cause body fat to be abnormally distributed.

For example, a person with lipodystrophy may lack adipose tissue in the upper body but have increased adipose tissue in the lower body. Some people with lipodystrophy may have droopy skin in the cheeks, large ears, or a complete lack of fat in the limbs but nowhere else.

Summary

Adipose tissue, which you probably know as body fat, is involved in numerous body processes. Adipose tissue cushions and protects your internal organs, stores unused calories for energy, and is involved in hormone production. People with obesity have excess adipose tissue. Although rare, it’s also possible to have too little adipose tissue. Both conditions increase the risk of numerous health problems, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and fatty liver disease due to the abnormal distribution of body fat.

16 Sources

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