Subcutaneous Fat

Subcutaneous fat is a layer of fat stored directly beneath the skin. It is the most visible type of fat in the body and serves several essential functions. Unlike visceral fat, which surrounds internal organs, subcutaneous fat acts as a protective layer, providing insulation and cushioning to the body.

This type of fat varies in distribution based on factors such as genetics, gender, age, and lifestyle. While it plays a vital role in overall health, excess subcutaneous fat can contribute to health risks and aesthetic concerns.

Understanding subcutaneous fat is crucial for managing weight, maintaining metabolic health, and achieving fitness goals.

What’s subcutaneous fat?

Your body stores a particular kind of fat called subcutaneous fat just under your skin. The last level of your skin is known as subcutaneous fat. It has a variety of uses. Subcutaneous adiposity

• cushions your bones and muscles to keep you safe from falls and bumps.
• facilitates the passage of blood vessels and nerves from the skin to the muscles.
• Keep your body temperature in check so you don’t go too hot or chilly.
• uses specialized connective tissue to link your bones, muscles, and dermis — the outermost layer of skin — to the skin.

Function Of Subcutaneous Fat

The epidermis is your skin’s outermost layer. The dermis is in the center. Subcutaneous fat is the smallest layer.

Subcutaneous fat serves five primary purposes:

• Your body uses it as its only energy storehouse system.
• It serves as cushioning to shield your bones and muscles from the force of collisions or falls.
• Between your skin and your muscles, it acts as a conduit for blood vessels and nerves.
• Your body uses it as a cover to offer assistance in controlling its temperature.
• Its unique connective tissue ties the dermis to the bones and muscles.

What makes visceral fat different from subcutaneous fat?

Visceral fat is the term used to describe fat that is concealed deep within your stomach’s organs. Your intestines, liver, stomach, and other vital organs are enclosed by it. It isn’t equal to subcutaneous fat.

Underlying your skin is a type of fat known as subcutaneous fat. It’s the type of thing you can squeeze and hold between your fingers. basically, subcutaneous fat builds up around your tummy, thighs, butt, and hips.

Causes Of Subcutaneous Fat

Everyone has a certain sum of subcutaneous fat, which is decided by genetics. Environmental variables have a significant impact on the amount of subcutaneous fat that accumulates over time.

A sedentary life and a diet heavy in fatty foods are the primary environmental variables that might lead to an increase in subcutaneous fat. moreover, if you have little muscle mass and don’t engage in any cardiovascular exercise, you can have further subcutaneous fat. You may additionally have expanded subcutaneous fat situations if you have diabetes or are insulin-resistant.

Risk Of Subcutaneous Fat

Although subcutaneous fat plays a crucial part in your body, if your body is collecting as well major of it, you may be more vulnerable to good issues like

• Heart Disease
• Strokes
• High blood pressure
• Type 2 diabetes
• Certain cancers
• Apnoea during sleep
• Fatty liver disease
• Renal illness
• Osteoarthritis

Heart conditions and strokes: Heart illness indicates that your heart isn’t working properly.

A stroke can happen when a blood artery in your brain or neck bursts or becomes blocked, suddenly cutting off the blood inflow to your brain.

High blood pressure: is brought on by an increased force of blood inflow via your blood vessels.

Type 2 diabetes: Blood sugar levels that are as easily high can lead to type 2 diabetes.

Certain cancers: You’re more likely to get some types of cancer if you have excess fat.

Apnoea during sleep: Breathing irregularly as you sleep is a symptom of sleep apnoea.

Fatty liver disease: Fat accumulation in the liver is a symptom of fatty liver disease.

Renal illness: Damage to the kidneys that prevents them from filtering blood effectively is known as kidney disease.

Osteoarthritis: This disorder results in joint discomfort, swelling, and decreased range of motion.

How to Analyze Subcutaneous Fat?

Subcutaneous fat accounts for around 90 of body fat in most people. The visceral fat is the remaining 10. Your body fat may be measured at domestic in a number of ways

• Body mass index( BMI)
• Waist circumference
• Waist- height ratio

Body mass index( BMI): Your height and weight are used by BMI to determine your body fat percentage. A BMI between 25 and 29.9 can recommend that you’re fat. You could be considered fat if your BMI is 30 or further. BMIs of 18.5 to 24.9 indicate normal weight.

Waist circumference: Just above your hip bones, generally close to your belly button, wrap a piece of tape around your waist. Women who are 35 inches or longer are more likely to experience health issues. The figure for males is 40 inches or greater.

Waist-height ratio: Take your tallness and partition it by the width of your waist. A healthy proportion is one that’s no further than 0.5. This ratio conveys the straightforward idea that your waist size shouldn’t exceed half of your height.

When to See Doctor?

Regularly visiting your physician is essential. Your body fat percentage, including subcutaneous fat, may be monitored by them. Get in touch with your provider if you do a home body fat measurement and the results are greater than is exhorted. They can discuss the hazards to your health with you and suggest a healthy diet and exercise regimen.

Treatment

How is subcutaneous fat removed?

• Diet
• Exercise
• Get a good night’s sleep
• Reduce your stress

Diet: Make an effort to consume fewer calories than you expend. Fruits, vegetables, healthy grains, lean meats, and low-fat dairy should all be a part of your diet. With protein, you feel fuller for longer. Your diet should contain less red meat, sugar, salt, and carbs.

Exercise: Subcutaneous fat serves as your body’s energy storage. Burning calories is necessary to expend that energy. Cardio, strength training, aerobic activity, and high-intensity interval training (HIIT) are all calorie-burning exercises. Short intervals of high-intensity exertion are interspersed with rapid recovery in HIIT workouts.

Get a good night’s sleep: You get more hungry and desire to seek items heavy in calories and carbohydrates when you don’t get enough sleep. Make it a habit to avoid using screens and to avoid eating large meals just before bed.

Reduce your stress: A hormone known as cortisol is activated by stress. Because it instructs your body to retain the extra fat, too much cortisol might make it more difficult for you to lose weight.

Summary

Although subcutaneous fat is present in your body for many beneficial reasons, too much of it can be harmful to your health. To find out how much fat you should consume and, if you are not at your optimal level, to assist in creating a diet and exercise regimen for the best possible health, spend some time with your physician.

FAQ’s

References:

• Subcutaneous fat. (2024, May 1). Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/23968-subcutaneous-fat
• Frothingham, S. (2018, July 18). What is subcutaneous fat? Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/subcutaneous-fat