Subcutaneous Fat: More than Unattractive Ballast

The latest research on obesity and the metabolic syndrome always focused on the negative effects of visceral fat and almost neglected the subcutaneous fat deposits, most of us find even more bothersome (due to their impact on our physical appeal). A recent study by Liu et al. (Liu. 2010) investigated whether the focus on visceral fat was scientifically verifiable and found that subcutaneous fat is by far not the passive and unattractive ballast some scientists make it appear:

Per 1-SD increment in either VAT or SAT, we observed elevated levels of fasting plasma glucose and triglyceride, lower levels of high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, and increased odds ratios for hypertension, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome.

Bottom line: You better get rid (or ripped ;-) of both, to get on the safe and sexy side!