Figure 1.
Major sites of adipocyte accumulation in humans and rodents. Adipocytes accumulate in characteristic fatty deposits in humans, mice, and rats. White adipose tissues are subdivided into subcutaneous (shown in orange) and visceral (shown in yellow) adipose tissues. Visceral fat accumulation is associated with undesirable metabolic consequences while unhealthy lipodystrophy tends to cause preferential loss of subcutaneous fat. Brown adipose tissues (shown in brown) produce heat by burning fat stores and tend to be metabolically beneficial.