Tag Archives: Abdominal Fat

What is Adipose Tissue?

Obesity or being overweight does not depend on body weight but on the amount of body fat, to be specific – the amount of adipose tissue.

Adipose tissue is located beneath the skin, around internal organs, in bone marrow and in breast tissue.

Continue reading →

Adipose deposits in different parts of the body have different biochemical profiles and adipose tissue have been recognized in recent years as a major endocrine organ, as it produces hormones such as leptin, resistin, which under normal conditions, provide feedback for hunger and satiety to the brain.

It provides insulation from heat and cold, protective padding around organs and hormone production. It is composed of adipocytes (roughly 80% of fat) and its main leptin purpose is to store energy in the form of lipids.

In severely obese persons excess adipose tissue is experienced as a mass hanging downward from the abdomen and is referred to as a panniculus which can complicate surgery. If a severely obese person quickly loses large amounts of fat (as in gastric bypass surgery), this panniculus will remain even if it has shrunken to its minimum abdominal fat volume and diameter, no amount of diet and exercise is able to eliminate it. It is a literal apron of the skin and the only option is surgical removal

White Fat vs. Brown Fat

????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

In humans and mammals two types of adipose tissue or fats are present. Brown fat is mostly found in infants and hibernating mammals – white adipose tissue or white fat is common in adults. One of its functions is to store the extra calories, nutrients and energy and it is also responsible for ever expanding waistlines, muffin tops, love handles and bulging thighs.

Continue reading →

In contrast, brown fat expends energy in the form of heat and it is crucial for maintaining body temperature in newborns and hibernating mammals. Brown fat takes up very little space and until recently it was believed that adults had very little or none. With most brown fat cell disappearing as we get older – this explains why our metabolisms also slow down with age.

We know now that brown fat is stimulated by a signal sent to the brain to increase circulation and to release white fat when there is a change to cold temperatures.

One way to activate the brown fat cells is to gradually turn off the hot water towards the end of a shower and to spend another 30 seconds letting the cold water invigorate your neck and shoulders. This will stimulate the brown fat into action and assist in the breakdown of the unhealthy white fat accumulated in all the wrong places.

Pages: 1 2