Where Can under Muscle Fat Be Found?

Body fat can appear in the form of mildly textured sheets, fingerlike projections or amorphous blobs. It's difficult to pinpoint the exact location of stored fat on your body, but you can use a skin-fold caliper or MRI/CT scan.

A healthy amount of stored fat provides energy, insulation and padding that helps protect internal organs. It also supports many hormones and plays an important role in body temperature regulation.

Subcutaneous Fat

There are two types of fat that store within the body: under muscle fat, which can be seen and pinched, and visceral fat. The latter is found deep within the abdominal cavity, and surrounds the organs of the torso. Visceral fat is associated with diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer. It is also difficult to lose.

Subcutaneous fat is located right under the skin. It is present throughout the entire body and makes up 80% of the total body fat. This type of fat plays an important role in regulating body temperature, protecting the bones, and storing energy. It is also a critical element in the production of fertility hormones and vitamin D, among other things.

Fat cells in the subcutaneous tissue grow and expand as needed, and they can accommodate up to 300 times more fatty acids than muscle cells. This is because the cell walls of fat cells are much stronger than muscle cells.

The breakdown of fascia (a sheath of collagen and elastic fibers that stretch and bend with muscles) paired with the accumulation of subcutaneous fat leads to cellulite. This type of fat is hard to get rid of and is most noticeable in the thighs and hips. Using fitness strategies that burn fat in general or target the underlying abdominal muscle can help reduce this type of fat.

Visceral Fat

The fatty tissue that is found in the abdominal cavity is called visceral fat. This type of fat is a significant risk factor for metabolic (type 2 diabetes, heart disease and high cholesterol), inflammatory diseases (Crohn’s disease and ankylosing spondylitis) and oncological diseases (colon cancer). It also increases your risk of early death.

Visceral fat is dangerous because it acts like an organ, producing chemicals and hormones that can damage your internal organs and arteries. It is also a major contributing factor to obesity and can cause you to feel bloated, have a potbelly appearance or even have an apple shape.

It is hard to control where you store your body fat because it depends on many factors, such as genetics, sex, age and lifestyle. However, consuming too much sugar and not getting enough exercise can lead to the accumulation of visceral fat, which can increase your risk for serious health conditions.

Conclusion

It is difficult to assess the amount of visceral fat without expensive and time-consuming tests, such as a CT scan or an MRI. Your GP can use other methods to estimate visceral fat, such as measuring your waist circumference or using the waist-to-height ratio. In addition, you can try to reduce the amount of visceral fat by exercising regularly and eating a healthy diet that includes whole foods, lean proteins, fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy.