The two primary forms of belly fat are under the skin and around your internal organs.
Subcutaneous fat is soft and “jiggling” on your abdomen. Most women have more subcutaneous fat than males.
However, excess body fat, particularly total belly fat, may raise your risk of chronic illnesses like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and some malignancies.
Visceral adipose tissue (VAT) surrounds your kidneys, liver, and pancreas, making it deeper in your abdomen than subcutaneous fat.
Men are more prone to gain visceral fat than women, so they may have a “apple-shaped” physique as belly fat increases.
Interestingly, aging affects fat distribution. Premenopausal women had more subcutaneous belly fat
In contrast, women tend to gain lower body fat, creating a “pear” form.
The soft abdominal fat you may probe is subcutaneous. Find it under your skin. Visceral belly fat covers abdominal organs and increases illness risk.
Since visceral fat is “active” fat, it produces hormones and other substances, including inflammatory proteins, that increase insulin resistance
Your portal vein delivers blood from your gastrointestinal tract to your liver for processing, near visceral fat.