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What is body fat?

Updated: Aug 11, 2022

Fat is a type of connective tissue composed of adipocytes or fat cells. A human's total body weight is approximately 60 percent water and 40 percent fat.

Body Fat

Fat serves as a reserve energy source for the body, which it uses to produce heat in times of stress such as cold weather or starvation. The term "body fat" refers to the amount of fat contained within the skin (subcutaneous fat) and just beneath the skin (intra-abdominal/visceral fat).


Body fat, what is it and where is it?

What is body fat?

Body fat, also called adipose tissue or lipids, is the storage of energy for the body to use when needed.


Body fat is made up of two types: subcutaneous and visceral. Subcutaneous fat is located beneath your skin and makes up most of your body's total body fat percentage, while visceral fat lies around internal organs such as the stomach, intestines and liver and can accumulate in excess amounts.

Visceral fat can be harmful to your health because it produces hormones that disrupt metabolic function, causing more insulin resistance which leads to diabetes mellitus type 2 (DM2). Studies show that increased body weight is positively associated with an increase in visceral adiposity due to an expansion of intrathoracic blood volume due to decreased ventilatory capacity causing hypoxemia (low levels of oxygen) which increases sympathetic nervous system activity leading to increased catecholamine secretion from adrenal medulla resulting in hypertension (high blood pressure).



Fat is a type of connective tissue composed of adipocytes or fat cells.

Fat is a type of connective tissue

To answer this question, we need to first clarify that fat is a type of connective tissue. Fat cells are composed of fat, which is stored in adipocytes. Adipocytes are a type of connective tissue. Connective tissues hold organs together and provide support for muscles and internal organs; they also help your body perform certain functions like grow hair, produce hormones and keep you warm.

Connective tissue consists of three different types: cartilage (which makes up bones), bone (also called osseous tissue) and blood vessels (known as vascular).

A human's total body weight is approximately 60 percent water and 40 percent fat.

You probably know that fat is a type of connective tissue composed of adipocytes or fat cells. What you may not know is that water is also a type of connective tissue, but unlike fat, it's fluid and can be found in your blood, organs and muscles.

In fact, water makes up about 60 percent of your total body weight—and 40 percent of it is contained in your brain alone!

BMI is a screening tool for obesity and unhealthy weight distribution.

BMI is a screening tool for obesity

The BMI is a screening tool for obesity and unhealthy weight distribution. BMI is not used to diagnose disease or establish a person's physical fitness, athletic performance, or health. A high BMI does not necessarily mean that you are overweight or obese. You can have a high BMI for reasons other than excess body fat. For example, some athletes and people with strong bones may also have high BMIs because of their increased muscle mass and density.

In addition, muscle weighs more than fat (one pound of muscle weighs approximately four times as much as one pound of fat). So a person with an athletic build—for example, someone who has done lots of strength training—may have more muscle than another person his or her same height but less developed muscles (which would make him look slimmer).



In some cases, a person could have a normal BMI but have unhealthy levels of fat in specific areas of the body.

Caliper

The BMI is a good indicator of overall health, but it doesn't give you an exact measurement of body fat. For that, you'll need to use a different tool: the caliper. A caliper takes measurements at two points on your body—say, your upper arm and thigh—and uses those measurements to calculate your total body fat percentage.

Calipers are inexpensive and easy to use. They can be found online or at any fitness store, though you may have to ask for them by name if you go into a store because they're not always in stock. If you don't want to buy one yourself, most fitness centers will have them available for free as part of their membership packages.



In conclusion, body fat is an important part of what makes us healthy. Understanding where you fall on the spectrum can help you determine whether or not you need to make a change in your lifestyle or diet.




If you are looking for an easy way to track your weight and keep your body weight in check, you should consider buying a intelligent weight scale. This is the one I recommend!

Etekcity Apex Smart WiFi Body Fat Scale

on Amazon has over 120k reviews and got 4.7 out 5 star rating.

It will give you:

  • BMI

  • Body Fat

  • Fat-Free Body Weight

  • Subcutaneous Fat

  • Visceral Fat

  • Body Water

  • Skeletal Muscle

  • Muscle Mass

  • Bone Mass

  • Protein BMR

  • Metabolic Age



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