Learn the difference between body fat and visceral fat and why DEXA Scan data is key to understanding real health risk.
Not all body fat is the same. Two people can have the same body fat percentage and very different health risks. The key difference is where fat is stored inside the body.
Understanding the difference between body fat and visceral fat is essential if your goal is better health, improved performance, and long term longevity. At Kalos, we use DEXA Scan data to help clients see not just how much fat they have, but where it is located and why that matters.
Body fat refers to all fat tissue in the body.
This includes:
When people talk about body fat percentage, they are referring to the total amount of fat relative to body weight.
Subcutaneous fat is the fat you can see and pinch.
It is found:
Subcutaneous fat affects appearance but is generally less harmful metabolically than visceral fat. In some cases, it can even play a protective role.
Losing subcutaneous fat often improves how you look, but it does not always reflect improvements in internal health.
Visceral fat is stored deep inside the abdomen, surrounding vital organs such as the liver, pancreas, and intestines.
Visceral fat is associated with:
You cannot see or pinch visceral fat. Someone can appear lean and still carry high levels of visceral fat.
Visceral fat behaves differently from other fat tissue.
It:
This is why visceral fat is considered one of the strongest predictors of long term health outcomes.
Body fat percentage combines all fat into a single number.
The problem is that it:
Two people with the same body fat percentage can have completely different visceral fat levels and health profiles.
Most common methods cannot accurately measure visceral fat.
The scale and BMI cannot detect it. Skinfold calipers only measure subcutaneous fat. Smart scales estimate fat using assumptions.
A DEXA Scan measures visceral fat directly and tracks how it changes over time. This provides insight that appearance and weight cannot offer.
As people get older, visceral fat tends to increase even if body weight stays the same.
Contributing factors include:
DEXA scans often reveal rising visceral fat in people who believe they are maintaining their health because their weight has not changed.
Reducing visceral fat requires a different approach than simply dieting.
Effective strategies include:
Aggressive calorie restriction often reduces weight but does not reliably target visceral fat.
Visceral fat can respond relatively quickly when the right strategies are in place.
DEXA scans often show meaningful reductions within:
Tracking allows you to confirm progress even before visible changes occur.
Body fat and visceral fat are not the same. Subcutaneous fat affects how you look. Visceral fat affects how healthy you are.
If your goal is better health, longevity, and performance, visceral fat matters far more than the number on the scale or mirror. The only reliable way to measure it is through body composition testing.
With DEXA Scan tracking at Kalos, you can understand where fat is stored, identify hidden health risks, and track meaningful improvements over time.
If you want to understand the difference between body fat and visceral fat in your own body, it is time to book your DEXA scan at Kalos. Whether your goal is to lose fat, improve metabolic health, boost performance, or optimize longevity, our advanced technology and expert guidance will help you move forward with clarity.
Schedule your scan today at Kalos, your journey to data-driven fitness starts now.
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