Differences Between Subcutaneous and Visceral Adipose Tissues

Gender-related and depot-specific differences exist in the expansion of the adipose tissue mass. The distribution of body fat, has important implications for metabolic health. Obese individuals with an upper body fat distribution have increased health complications and risks of cardiovascular diseases. Functional differences between fat depots may explain their differential involvement in metabolic obesity-related complications. The peculiarities of these adipose tissues are exposed. We will retain the following major differences.The visceral fat cells are smaller than the subcutaneous fat cells and are characterized by an increased lipolytic capacity. The visceral fat is also characterized by a lipoprotein lipase activity lower than that of the subcutaneous fat. By contrast, the subcutaneous fat cells have an enhanced capacity of fat uptake than the visceral fat cells. The non-esterified fatty acids and the adipokines (IL-6 in particular) stemming from visceral fat play an important role in the induction of liver insulin resistance. Finally, an innovative aspect of adipose tissue biology is the discovery of its infiltration by a number of immune cells in obese subjects. Infiltrating macrophages and lymphocytes are higher in visceral adipose than in the abdominal subcutaneous depots of obese subjects.