Fat is good? That’s right! Fat is an organ needed for hormone regulation. Healthy levels are for man are 10%-20% for women 18%-28%. Its primary purpose is for the storage and use of energy. Fat is our main fuel source for most activities we do day to day, minute to minute. As a matter of fact the human brain is comprised mostly of fat. With all of this going for fat it sounds like we should be grateful for a few excess pounds of this energy storage titan. Well not so fast. Let you introduce you to my nemesis visceral fat.
Not All Fat Is Created Equal
The human body contains several different types of fat. When thinking about the different types of fat they fall under two categories with several underlying sub categories. There is the tissue level of fat and the cell level of fat. The cell level is the most basic level. At the cell level there are 4 types of fat white, brown, beige, and pink. The 3 tissue types of fat are essential, subcutaneous, and visceral fat. Let’s start at the cell level and work our way up.
Cell Level Fat
Fat cells are comprised of the fat reservoir, cytoplasm, mitochondria, golgi apparatus, nucleus, and cell membrane. White, brown, beige, and pink fat are made up of different proportions of these structures.
-White Fat
Chances are that when you think about body fat you are thinking about white fat. White fat is actually an endocrine gland that aides in the production of the hormones estrogen and leptin. Others main uses of white fat in the body are for energy storage and insulation.
-Brown Fat
Brown fat is very common in infants and as we age it makes up a lower percentage of our overall bodily weight. It is typically held in the upper back, shoulders, and spinal regions. Brown fat gets a lot of good press for its ability to keep us warm without shivering. Other benefits of brown fat are that it is more energy dense than white fat, it is a superior calorie burner, and it helps get insulin levels under control.
-Beige Fat
A mix between white and brown fat, beige fat also generates heat for the body. When you shiver to keep warm this is your beige fat in action. Beige fat cells start off as white cells and through the browning process they become more like brown fat. They contain more mitochondria than white cells but not as much as brown cells. Life brown fat cells that are excellent energy burners and because you have more beige fat than brown fat they actually burn more overall calories than brown fat. The bad news is that beige fat is temporary and is quickly converted back to white fat.
-Pink Fat
Pink fat occurs only in women during pregnancy and lactation and is vital in childbearing.
Tissue Level Fat
Now that we know about the different types of fat cells lets talk about the different fat tissues.
-Essential Fat
Do you think your brain is important? Well if you do you can thank your essential fat stores. Essential fat is found in your brain, bone marrow, spinal cord, and cell membranes. Without essential fat our bodies would be unable to preform normal physiological and biological processes. If someone calls you fat they might just be commenting on your high IQ 😉
-Subcutaneous Fat
This is the type of fat that you can pinch. It is the layer of fat just beneath the skin responsible for creating a barrier between you and the outside world. The main purpose of subcutaneous fat is to protect our organs and to provide our bodies with massive energy storage. Though sometimes unsightly, the good news about it is its not a primary risk factor for heart disease, cancer, diabetes, or stroke.
-Visceral Fat
And finally the bad boy of fat: visceral fat. If there is any fat your mother wouldn’t want you hanging out with its this guy. Some might call him “toxic.” Visceral fat is a major risk factor for heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and stroke. Worse off a “skinny” person can have a high level of visceral fat. If you’ve ever heard of the term “skinny fat” it revers to someone who might appear to be skinny but has a high level of this type of fat. Because of this it is sometimes called hidden fat.
It is primarily found in the midsection increasing your waistline and surrounds your internal organs like your stomach, liver, and intestines. If there is anything good to say about it, it is that it can be a protective barrier for these organs. The bad news about this is that it produces pro -inflammatory cytokines. Because its so close to these vital organs these cytokines are absorbed directly into them. There is more bad news on the bad boy of fat. The pro-inflammatory cytokines it produces can lead to insulin resistance and a hardening of the arteries.
Summary
Not all fat is created equal. Fat is an essential organ that helps regulate the bodies organs. Brown fat cells help keep us warm, essential fat is key to nervous system function, and white fat provides us with massive energy storage that has allowed humans to thrive as a species. On the other hand you can always have too much of a good thing. Visceral fat is dangerous and subcutaneous fat can be unsightly.
With that said its better for your health to have a little cushion than to be rail thin with a ton of visceral fat.
If someone calls you fat, thank them for complementing your nervous system function and ability to regulate your temperature, lace up your sneakers, and go on a walk.
-Author, The Mind Body Disciple