The chances are good that when you think about body fat, you don’t think about visceral fat, which accumulates over your organs and under your abdominal muscles.



Instead, you probably think about your love handles, saddlebags, or other fat that accumulates under your skin. That’s the fat we can see. 



While any excess fat isn’t good for your health, visceral fat is terrible.



Fortunately, you’re not stuck with it if you’re willing to make some nutrition and lifestyle changes. Certain foods and supplements also help reduce visceral fat, which I've covered in the second half of this article.





Visceral Fat vs. Subcutaneous Fat



Stored body fat is classified as white, beige, or brown fat. Brown fat contains mitochondria and can increase metabolic rate. Unfortunately, most stored fat in humans is white fat, which does almost nothing other than store up fatty acids and makes it more difficult to squeeze into our clothes.



White fat is then categorized as subcutaneous, visceral, and ectopic fat.



Ectopic fat develops within organs, whereas visceral fat develops around organs.



Visceral fat accumulates under the abdominal muscles and over your organs, so it isn't fat you can pinch or see. However, as it grows, you'll notice your belly increase in size and your waistline disappear.



Subcutaneous fat accumulates all over the body. Women tend to develop larger subcutaneous fat stores over their thighs, butt, breasts, and triceps, creating a pear or gynoid shape. Men tend to accumulate subcutaneous fat on their belly, lower back, and obliques, giving them an apple or android shape.



Hormonal differences between men and women cause differences in fat storage. Moobs (man boobs) or fatter thighs are signs of low testosterone or excessive estrogen in men, and a round torso indicates elevated testosterone or low estrogen in women.



More and more women today, even those who are pre-menopause, develop an apple shape as an outcome of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).



Correcting hormone imbalances alone won't always improve total body fat levels. It just shifts fat stores to the areas more common in normal-hormone men and women.



Also, peri and post-menopausal women often develop hormonal balances more like males than females, which is why hormonal therapy is so valuable for post-menopausal women.



Healthy women carry more body fat than men, though excessive body fat in either sex can lead to long-term health problems.



The "healthy at any weight" mantra simply isn't true. If you're overweight, you're at a higher risk of developing disease. That isn't fat-shaming. It's fact-sharing.



"Belly fat" is a combination of visceral fat accumulated over your organs and subcutaneous fat over your abdominal muscles. Reducing subcutaneous fat doesn't always lead to lower visceral fat levels.



Maybe you've seen a bodybuilder with six-pack abs but a belly that looks like he's pregnant. He has low levels of subcutaneous fat but high levels of visceral fat. He might look healthy, but he's a heart attack waiting to happen.



Why is visceral fat so bad?



Higher body fat levels are associated with increased risks of numerous diseases. However, elevated visceral fat is an independent predictor of mortality. That means that elevated visceral fat likely causes preventable health problems that lead to one's demise.



Most people think of belly fat as the squishy fat that hangs over your belt or that you can pinch with your fingers. The fat you see and feel is subcutaneous fat. While it isn’t healthy, it isn’t as bad as the fat you cannot see and feel.



Visceral fat accumulates under your abdominal muscles, and over and around your organs. Because it develops under your abdominal muscles, you cannot pinch it. It’s also difficult to measure unless you use expensive equipment, such as a DEXA machine. 



Though you cannot see it directly, you can tell when someone carries excess visceral fat.