Research
Energy balance
Visceral adipose tissue accumulation is a primary risk factor for cardiometabolic disease, whereas subcutaneous fat is metabolically neutral or healthy.
Not all fat is created equal. Visceral fat (around your organs) is dangerous and increases your risk of diabetes and heart disease. Subcutaneous fat (under your skin) is less harmful. Focus on reducing visceral fat through diet and exercise, as this has the biggest impact on your metabolic health.
StrongSupportsVERY_HIGH confidence
The location of adipose tissue is highly relevant; accumulation of visceral fat produces adverse health consequences, whereas subcutaneous fat is considered metabolically healthy or neutral.
Why this rating
Consistent findings across human studies and animal models.
Source
Adipose Tissue and Metabolic Health
Sung‐Min An et al. · Diabetes & Metabolism Journal · 2023
DOI 10.4093/dmj.2023.0011
narrative_reviewCited 136×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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