The 5 types of fat

WHITE FAT This is the vast majority of body fat, mostly stored right under your skin (subcutaneous fat). In addition to giving you your sexy curves, it produces a hormone called adiponectin, which has anti-inflammatory properties and helps insulin balance your blood sugar, says Naima Moustaid-Moussa, PhD, an authority on obesity research. The more small or normal-size fat cells you have, the more responsive to insulin they are and the more anti-inflammatory hormones and substances they’ll produce and release. The bigger those fat cells get, the less of these they produce, putting you at risk for serious health conditions.

VISCERAL FAT Once your subcutaneous fat cells are full, white fat accumulates deep inside your body, first around your intestines, then in your liver, around your heart and in your blood vessels.

Fat in these areas, called visceral fat, has been linked to high cholesterol, insulin resistance, heart disease and more.

BROWN AND BEIGE FATS Brown fat is the so-called ‘good fat’ that burns other stored fat for energy. Babies and children have more of it than adults, because it produces heat to keep little ones warm. Adults who have more brown fat tend to be leaner. Scientists are scrambling to figure out how to boost brown fat – so far, we know that exposing yourself to mild cold (12°C to 15°C) for two to six hours a day can increase brown fat over the course of a month, says Dr Cypess, who’s developing a drug to fire up brown fat. And “in some parts of the body, white fat can convert to brown-like fat, which we call beige,” says Dr C. Ronald Kahn, of the Joslin Diabetes Centre, the world’s largest diabetes research organisation. Studies show that exercise and cold seem to help, Dr Moustaid-Moussa says. “This is promising, because converting even a portion of white fat to beige can make a big impact on keeping fat cells at an optimal size,” she says. Other studies are looking into using diet to activate brown fat or increase beige fat.

CELLULITE This is simply white fat that’s developed scar-like tissue, which gives it a lumpy, uneven appearance. Cellulite can be genetic, Dr Kahn says, or a result of inflammation that accumulates between layers of fat cells that have become too big. “Cellulite is no different than white fat, except for how it looks,” says Dr Kahn, who adds that it’s nothing to worry about from a health perspective.