Research
Hormonal
Visceral fat is more metabolically hazardous than subcutaneous fat because it is more sensitive to lipolytic stimuli and releases free fatty acids directly into the portal vein, leading to hepatic insulin resistance and ectopic fat storage.
Target visceral fat reduction through diet and exercise. This type of fat is more dangerous than subcutaneous fat because it directly impacts liver health and insulin sensitivity.
StrongSupportsVERY_HIGH confidence
Visceral fat is more sensitive to lipolytic stimuli... visceral fat is more likely to release free fatty acids into the circulation causing increased free fatty acid levels, which may lead to ectopic fat storage in muscle, liver, and pancreas.
Why this rating
Supported by mechanistic studies, animal models, and human pilot studies.
Source
What aspects of body fat are particularly hazardous and how do we measure them?
MB Snijder et al. · International Journal of Epidemiology · 2005
DOI 10.1093/ije/dyi253
narrative_reviewCited 594×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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