Intra-Abdominal Adipose Depots

Abdominal girth is a result of the accumulation of adipose tissue, which may occur in any of three different compartments. These are the abdominal subcutaneous, visceral and retroperitoneal areas, which are not equivalent from a metabolic point of view. Retroperitoneal fat is the least active metabolically and thus appears to change least when all three areas are followed during weight loss. Of these three sites, only the visceral adipose tissue has venous drainage into the hepatic portal vein. This intimate connection between this adipose tissue and the liver is thought to be an important factor in explaining the connection between abdominal obesity and the disease processes with which it is associated.