Adipose

Adipose is the technical term for body fat

So if you have fat -- and everyone does, even the very skinny people -- you have adipose.

Adipose is necessary for life. It is the primary form of stored energy in the body. It helps insulate us from the cold.

Central obesity

Most of the body fat is stored under the skin. But some surrounds the internal organs like the kidneys.

If you store a lot of internal fat it can make your belly stick out more. This fat storage around the waist and internal organs is called central obesity.

Metabolism of fat

We used to think that adipose was simply fat storage. But recent research shows that adipose is metabolically active.

That accounts at least in part for the fact that fat stored in different areas of the body is associated with different disease patterns.

For example, women tend to store fat on their hips, and women are less likely than men to develop heart disease. Men, on the other hand, tend to store fat around their waist.

Fat storage patterns and heart disease

But interestingly, and unfortunately, women who store more fat around their waist are more likely to have heart attacks than women who store fat on their hips.

And men and women alike are likely to live longer -- with less risk of heart attack, stroke and diabetes -- if they don't have excess fat putting a strain on their system.