What are essential and storage fats?
The total fat in the human body is classified into two types: essential fat and storage fat. Essential fat is defined as the fat needed to maintain normal physiological functions. Essential fat is found in such tissues as muscles, nerve cells, bone marrow, intestines, heart, liver, and lungs. This essential fat constitutes about 3% of the total weight in men and 12% in women. The percentage of essential fat is higher in women as it includes sex-specific fat, such as breast tissue, and other sex-related fat deposits. Storage fat is the fat which is stored in the adipose tissue, mostly beneath the skin (subcutaneous fat) and around the major organs in the body. The storage fat is used as an insulator to retain body heat and as an energy substrate for metabolism. It also serves as a form of protection against physical trauma to the body. Unlike essential fat, there is no real difference in the amount of storage fat between men and women. However, men tend to store fat around the waist whi
