We all have read plenty of weight loss-related articles and tips where they list down the number of ways you can shed body fat and look slimmer. Moreover, it is a popular fact that burning calories through exercise and cutting down your calorie intake through diet can effectively result in weight loss.
With fitness enthusiasts and experts constantly blaming body fat for a range of issues and unappealing appearance, it becomes imperative that we must know the types of body fat that we have.
Body fat is not just an unwanted result of your inactivity and excessive calorie intake, but rather it has some specific functions in our body. According to experts, fat stores the calories in a safe way so that you can mobilize them when hungry. On the other hand, fat also releases certain hormones which control metabolism.
Now to get deeper, let us have a look at the types of body fat and their function.
Subcutaneous fat
This is the fat that is found right under our skin and helps us measure the body fat using skin-fold calipers. Experts suggest that subcutaneous fat may not pose a danger to the body but can instead have some benefits.
Visceral fat
Visceral fat accumulating in our body is something that deserves attention. It is the fat that accumulates on your inner organs and is usually seen in people as deep fat wraps. Visceral fat plays a significant role in insulin resistance and thus results in severe health issues like diabetes, dementia, stroke and other heart diseases.
Brown fat
Contrary to popular belief, experts claim that lean people tend to have more brown fat than obese people. Brown fat is also not something you should worry about as it can help in burning calories when stimulated. Meanwhile in children, brown fat helps them keep warm especially when it is cold.
White fat
White fat is mainly made of large cells located around our organs, buttocks, thighs and abdomen. The main function of this type of fat is to store energy and produce hormones which are then secreted in the bloodstream. The fat cells tend to release a specific hormone that helps us keep diabetes at bay.
Beige fat
Beige fat is believed to function between brown and white fat. The beige fat cells are found to be effective in burning fat rather than storing it. Experts also believe that white fat can get converted into beige fat when a person is cold or stressed thus preventing obesity and improving levels of healthy fat in the body.
