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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2017 May 27.
Published in final edited form as: Circ Res. 2016 May 27;118(11):1786–1807. doi: 10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.115.306885

Figure 1.

Figure 1

Adipose tissue depots occur throughout the body. Studies suggest that visceral adipose tissue accumulation is a major risk factor for cardio-metabolic disease, whereas subcutaneous fat appears to be neutral or protective. Other adipose tissue depots of note include the epicardium, the perivascular space, and bone marrow, but the functional significance of these tissues is largely unknown. Brown adipose tissue occurs in the supraclavicular and paraspinal regions. In contrast to white adipose tissue, brown adipose tissue is very metabolically active and it functions to utilize fuel to produce heat. In addition, ectopic lipid can accumulate in tissues, such as liver, in metabolically dysfunctional organisms.