Until recently, scientists have assumed that fat tissue was passive and inert, and that its sole mission was to supply energy. However,the 1994 discovery that fat cells (adipocytes) secrete leptin, an appetite suppressing hormone, opened our eyes to a very different reality. Since then, dozens of substances have been discovered that originate in these same cells, including some hormones, clotting factors and modulators of the immune response. As it is, there is no choice butrecognize fat as a complex endocrine organ.
Or rather like two different organs. On the one hand there isan “invisible” fat that accumulates deep in the abdomen, under the muscles, enveloping and pressing the liver, heart, stomach, intestine and kidneys. The only effective way to measure this abdominal or visceral fat is by resorting to imaging techniques such as computerized tomography and Magnetic Resonance. The other fat, that of the love handles and the hated cartridge belts, is deposited just under the skin, can be felt and is known assubcutaneous or peripheral.
Having a higher proportion of one type or another is, at least in part, a question of gender. Thebeer belly-also known as “curve of happiness” – is formed by an accumulation of fat in the typically male abdomen, which defines a morphology called “apple-shaped”. In contrast, obese women often have prominent hips, buttocks, and thighs, sporting a “pear-shaped” figure. Beyond aesthetics, discerning what type of obesity an individual suffers from is essential to assess the cardiovascular risk to which they are subjected. Abdominal obesity, experts say, predisposes to cholesterol and increases the probability of suffering a heart attack. Female peripheral fat, on the other hand, can be considered medically benign. In short,it is much better to be a pear than an apple.
