Abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue (ASAT)
MetabolismFat stored beneath the skin in the abdominal region.
While still contributing to overall adiposity, ASAT is generally considered less metabolically harmful than visceral fat. However, excessive ASAT can still contribute to insulin resistance and metabolic dysfunction, albeit to a lesser degree than VAT.
Why this matters
This provides an accurate, objective measurement of superficial belly fat, far more precise than waist measurements or pinch tests. While this "under the skin" fat is generally less problematic than fat around your organs, research shows excessive amounts can still contribute to inflammation and metabolic issues. As a lifestyle metric, ASAT helps you track real changes in body composition over time, showing how your diet and exercise habits affect fat storage. This is a wellness measurement for informational purposes, not a clinical diagnostic tool.
How this connects to other biomarkers
- Abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue (ASAT) is the fat just under the skin of the abdomen — the less metabolically harmful of the two abdominal fat depots.
- High ASAT with relatively normal Visceral adipose tissue (VAT) (low VAT to SAT Ratio) is a metabolically protective phenotype despite high BMI.
- Monitor ASAT alongside VAT and Liver fat fraction (%PDFF) for a complete body-composition picture.
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