4 ms·
the only nuance i’ll add is that there’s a huge difference between subcutaneous fat (eg visible belly fat you can pinch) and visceral fat (the fat hugging your
by tempsy 4y ago
the only nuance i’ll add is that there’s a huge difference between subcutaneous fat (eg visible belly fat you can pinch) and visceral fat (the fat hugging your vital organs)
visceral fat is significantly more dangerous than subcutaneous fat, and people who have a high ratio of visceral fat to subcutaneous fat can appear skinny but are as or potentially less well off that someone who has a more balanced ratio of visceral to subq fat.
- graeme 4y agoTrue enough, but even subcutaneous fat is not benign. Sumo wrestlers have extremely low visceral fat and extremely high muscle mass. But a good margin of subcutaneous fat. They have a markedly lower life expectancy than other elite athletes and than other Japanese men.
- tempsy 4y agosure I’m not suggesting people get complacent if they have excess belly fat. but controlling visceral fat should be most important goal for your average person given how disruptive it is hormonally the main issue for your average person is there isn’t really a good way to measure the percentage or ratio outside of a Dexa scan which are pretty expensive
- tokai 4y agoYour nuance is one of the main points of the article. «Nor does BMI measure where fat is located, which can make a big difference. Visceral fat jammed among internal organs is much worse than subcutaneous fat stored just beneath the skin.»
- tempsy 4y agowell it’s missing from the headline and not everyone is reading the article
- captain_coffee 4y agoYes, people with a lot of intra-abdominal fat but very small amounts of subcutaneous fat are referred to as TOFI. Thin on the Outside, Fat on the Inside (Dr. Robert Lustig)
- coffeebeqn 4y agoHow do I know if I have that?
- tempsy 4y agodexa scan is the most accurate way. i’ve seen more pop up nowadays. they are a bit expensive though. have seen $150 or so per scan but can probably find cheaper.