WHAT IS BODY FAT

Cristina Chiperi
Dec 20, 2023
2 min read

“THE GREATEST WEALTH IS HEALTH.” – VIRGIL.

Understanding Body Fat Part 1

Body fat – who needs it? It turns out we all do.

A fat cell varies in size, color and function. It contains blood vessels, nerves, and immune system cells. Fat cells play a vital roll in forming and maintaining cell membranes, as well as sending chemical signals to other organs in our body. Recently, adipose tissue (body fat) has been recognized as an endocrine organ responsible for regulating many body systems.

I’m going to talk about two types of fat cells that our body stores:

White Adipose Tissue (WAT) is the most abundant throughout our bodies. WAT is located around and between our internal organs, known as visceral fat, under the skin, known as subcutaneous fat, and in the inner cavities of bones. White fat cells store energy, provide cushion to our organs, and act as insulation, protecting us from extreme temperatures. WAT also includes other cell types, called stromal vascular fraction (SVF) cells. Together, these cells secrete hormones that help regulate energy balance, hunger and satiety, metabolism and inflammatory response.

In smaller quantities, we also store Brown Fat Tissue, located around the neck, shoulders, chest, around the kidneys, adrenal glands, and heart. Brown fat acts as a furnace positively influencing our metabolism by facilitating energy expenditure.

Research shows that Strength Training boost levels of a hormone like substance called irisin. Generated in the skeletal muscle, irisin can nudge the white adipose cells and convert them into beige fat cells, similar to brown adipose tissue known as “heat producing cells”. Similar to strength training, exposure to cold temperatures, specifically shivering, has been found to trigger irisin secretion.