A January 2019 study by the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute looked at visceral adipose tissue – visceral fat – (VAT).  

One theory, the "VAT prioritization hypothesis", suggests that a fetus that is undernourished makes the decision to store fat (energy) in visceral fat instead of in fat under the skin – subcutaneous fat.  Visceral fat (VAT) is designed to protect from infection. This prioritizing has a major impact on later life obesity, diabetes, blood pressure. VAT is, in part, stored in the omentum (we wrote about that recently).

An increase in visceral fat causes inflammation. This can lead to insulin resistance. A feed-back loop starts: even more visceral fat is stored.

The researchers said,

  • “Trying to understand diseases related to obesity without understanding the abdominal structures [the omentum] that become obese is like trying to understand circulatory diseases without knowing the functions of the heart,"

  • "The fact that visceral fat tissue evolved to fight visceral infections provides a causal hypothesis for how high fructose sweeteners and saturated fats contribute to chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes,"

  • "They influence which bacteria grow inside the intestines [called the microbiome], making the intestinal walls more permeable and releasing more toxins into the bloodstream, stimulating the visceral immune system and potentially leading to chronic inflammatory disease."

  • "I think the combination of malnutrition early in life coupled with modern diets of saturated and trans-fats and high-fructose foods available on a global scale is leading to a situation that is toxic for individuals in many different cultures."

  • "People's body shape--apple versus pear--is based on the way their bodies allocate fat. Even in ancient societies, poor nutrition leading to investment in VAT contributed to apple-shaped bodies, versus more 'beautiful,' voluptuous, pear-shaped bodies associated with SAT fat storage by better-nourished babies. Social upheaval (war, conquest and disease) would have favored flexibility in fat allocation because social rank and food availability would occasionally have changed."