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Visceral Adipose Tissue Versus Subcutaneous Fat: Key Differences
Not all body fat is equivalent in its metabolic consequences. Visceral adipose tissue (VAT) — the fat that accumulates around the liver, pancreas, intestines, and other abdominal organs — is metabolically distinct from subcutaneous fat in several important way
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- Not all body fat is equivalent in its metabolic consequences. Visceral adipose tissue (VAT) — the fat that accumulates around the liver, pancreas, intestines, and other abdominal organs — is metabolically distinct from subcutaneous fat in several important ways. VAT cells are larger, more lipolytically active, and drain directly into the portal vein, meaning the free fatty acids and inflammatory cytokines they release are delivered first to the liver, where they promote insulin resistance, dyslipidaemia, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Visceral fat also secretes higher levels of pro-inflammatory adipokines such as tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6), contributing to systemic inflammation that underpins cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and metabolic syndrome.
- The challenge with visceral fat is that it does not respond readily to conventional diet and exercise in the same way subcutaneous fat does. Research published in Obesity Reviews has noted that while aerobic exercise reduces VAT more efficiently than subcutaneous fat in relative terms, the absolute reductions achieved through lifestyle modification alone are often modest and difficult to sustain — particularly in individuals with underlying hormonal dysregulation that drives visceral fat accumulation in the first place.[2]