Different Types of Body Fat

Not all body fat is created equal. Understanding the difference can help you increase the good kind and banish the bad.

Body fat has a bad reputation, but is actually essential to good health. In fact, all cells in the body, including the hair, nails and brain, contain lipids (fat molecules). We all have three distinct types of body fat cells — called adipose tissue — distributed throughout our bodies. Together, the three types of body fat perform a number of vital functions.

• Subcutaneous fat or "white" fat makes up about 80 percent of all body fat and typically accumulates in the hips, thighs and buttocks. Its primary purpose is to store the energy from food for later use. It's also an active part of the endocrine system, secreting hormones including leptin and resistin, which help regulate metabolism.
• Visceral fat, more commonly known as "belly fat," is found deep in the abdominal cavity. It surrounds, supports and insulates the internal organs, including the intestines, pancreas and liver. However, too much visceral fat can interfere with normal organ function, which can lead to health problems such as diabetes, high cholesterol and heart disease.
• Brown fat is a special type of fat most often found in the neck, chest and shoulders. Brown fat is especially beneficial because instead of just storing energy, it actually produces energy in the form of heat, which helps burn excess white fat.

How can you maintain the three body fat types in healthy proportions? There is no need to go to extremes or adopt a trendy crash diet. Just 60 minutes of daily physical activity can quickly reduce visceral fat, gradually melt away stubborn white fat and even boost your body's percentage of brown fat.

Someday, you may be able to build brown fat by simply taking a pill. For now, try these tips to help increase the amount of calorie-burning brown fat in the body.

Chill out. In a study presented at the joint meeting of the International Society of Endocrinology and the Endocrine Society in 2014, researchers showed that exposure to room temperatures around 66 degrees Fahrenheit increased brown fat activity by as much as 40 percent and promoted the growth of new brown fat cells. Babies have a large amount of brown fat. Since babies don't yet have the ability to shiver, brown fat helps them stay warm.

Eat more heat. Hot peppers contain a chemical called capsaicin, which gives them their spicy flavor. Capsaicin also has the potential to stimulate more brown fat cell development.

Shift it. Exercise can increase brown fat's calorie-burning power by making it more active. In addition, after a workout muscles release a hormone called irisin, which stimulates the formation of "beige fat," or white fat that behaves like brown fat.

Back