Explained: Five types of body fat

Till date, most of us have known ‘fat’ to be a term that describes either a body type or a component of food that is essential for the body. Even though including fats in one’s diet is imperative for proper growth and functioning of the body, it is also important to know what kind of aft to consume. Good fats are essential for absorption of vitamins; they give energy to the body for carrying out life processes and help keep cholesterol in control. On the other hand, bad fats lead to increased risk of diseases such as diabetes and cholesterol.

Here are five types of fat that exist in our body, explained by experts. Learning how and why they can be harmful will help us know why we should concentrate on losing them. Read on to learn more about the types of fat that exists in the human body.

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Beige fat is a mixture of white and brown fat. When we exercise, the body converts white fat to beige fat by using the hormone irisin, this process is known as browning. It is usually found around the collar bone and along the spine. Eating foods like grapes can help fasten the process of browning.

Brown fat is a good fat that is found at the back of the neck and the chest region. Also known as Brown Adipose Tissue or BAT, this fat is good for the body as it helps maintain the temperature of the core. Since it feeds on bad white fat, it is a fat cutter and it’s quantity in the body can be increased by consuming healthy foods, supplements and making small but significant changes to your lifestyle.

You might have heard this name quite often because of the grave threats that it’s excess pose to the body. Found in the belly region, this fat is often easy to spot because of a protruding, large belly. Although some amounts of it are necessary to protect the organs, excessive deposits of fat around the organs leads to draining of blood that gets deposited and causes an increase in blood cholesterol, cancer, heart diseases and type-2 diabetes.

Keeping the stores of fat white fat in check, subcutaneous white fat regulates the insulin that is released in the body because of the production of adiponectin. White subcutaneous fat is good for the body. However, excess of it in the body leads to excessive release of adiponectin which can slow down metabolism and increase the amount of fat around the hips, thighs and belly.

Subcutaneous fat is present overall the body and especially at the back of hips, arms and legs. Too much of it on the belly leads to increased risk of diseases such as diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular problems. An excess of subcutaneous fat also means an excess of estrogen in the body which can promote unhealthy weight gain in men and women.