Are you pear-shaped or apple-shaped?įat accumulated in the lower body (the pear shape) is subcutaneous, while fat in the abdominal area (the apple shape) is largely visceral. In women, it is also associated with breast cancer and the need for gallbladder surgery. Visceral fat has been linked to metabolic disturbances and increased risk for cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. Visceral fat, on the other hand, lies out of reach, deep within the abdominal cavity, where it pads the spaces between our abdominal organs. Abdominal, or visceral, fat is of particular concern because it's a key player in a variety of health problems - much more so than subcutaneous fat, the kind you can grasp with your hand. But we've now been put on notice that as our waistlines grow, so do our health risks. Extra pounds tend to park themselves around the midsection.Īt one time, we might have accepted these changes as an inevitable fact of aging. As people go through their middle years, their proportion of fat to body weight tends to increase - more so in women than men. Though the term might sound dated, "middle-age spread" is a greater concern than ever. Visceral fat more of a health concern than subcutaneous fat
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