[The biology of visceral fat].

Visceral obesity is an independent risk factor for the development of cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes. This is likely to be due to biological characteristics of visceral tissue, which are different from those of subcutaneous adipose tissue in terms of decreased insulin sensitivity and increased lipolytic activity. In addition, the anatomical site of visceral fat could be one potential reason for the increased cardio-metabolic risk associated with visceral obesity. Visceral adipose tissue drains into the portal vein and therefore the liver is exposed to the undiluted metabolites and adipokines released from visceral fat. There are profound differences between visceral and subcutaneous adipocytes in the metabolism, expression of specific receptors and secretion of a specific adipokine pattern, which could contribute to the adverse consequences of visceral obesity.