Source comparison
Understanding Visceral Fat vs Subcutaneous Fat
Visceral adipose tissue is not the fat you can pinch. It's the metabolically active fat stored deep within the abdominal cavity, surrounding the liver, pancreas, and intestines. Unlike subcutaneous fat (the layer beneath the skin), VAT secretes pro-inflammator
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- Visceral adipose tissue is not the fat you can pinch. It's the metabolically active fat stored deep within the abdominal cavity, surrounding the liver, pancreas, and intestines. Unlike subcutaneous fat (the layer beneath the skin), VAT secretes pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, TNF-alpha) and adipokines that directly impair insulin signaling and promote systemic inflammation. This is why visceral fat accumulation correlates with Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) even in individuals with normal body weight.
- Tesamorelin targets VAT specifically through growth hormone's lipolytic action on intra-abdominal adipocytes, which express higher densities of beta-adrenergic receptors than subcutaneous fat cells. When GH binds to these receptors, it activates hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL), the enzyme that breaks down stored triglycerides into free fatty acids for oxidation. Ipamorelin amplifies this process by increasing the frequency and magnitude of GH pulses without the cortisol spike associated with older GHRPs like GHRP-6. The result: preferential mobilization of visceral fat while preserving lean mass.
- Imaging studies using CT or MRI consistently show that tesamorelin produces reductions in VAT area (measured at the L4–L5 vertebral level) without proportional reductions in subcutaneous abdominal fat. A pattern opposite to what occurs with caloric restriction alone, which tends to reduce both fat compartments equally. This mechanistic specificity is why the blend is researched in populations with pathological VAT accumulation, including HIV lipodystrophy, obesity-related metabolic syndrome, and age-related sarcopenic obesity.