Fat Cells Overview
Fat is also known in the medical community as adipose tissue. It's located underneath the skin, around the kidney, in the liver and within muscles. It's made up of millions of fats cells, also called lipocytes. Extra fat (from excessive calories) are stored in the lipocytes, which expand to accommodate the excess fat. If the fat is needed for energy, the lipocytes shrink again.
Fat Enters the Body
Fat enters the body through the food we eat. It can be from food that contains triglycerides (a form of fat) or through carbohydrates (sugar) that gets converted to fat inside the body. When the fat reaches the intestines, it gets combined with bile salts (chemicals produced by the liver and stored in the gallbladder), which absorb nutrients and break down the fat into tiny particles of fat. This process, known as emulsification, increases the surface area of the fat. Enzymes separate the fat particles into fatty acids and glycerol, which are absorbed into the intestinal lining. They form into cells in the intestine wall and are coated with protein. They are then released into the lymphatic system and eventually into the bloodstream.
Fat Storage
When the fat is in the bloodstream, it's quickly broken down by enzymes, called lipases, and stored in the adipose tissue. The presence of the hormone insulin affects how active the lipases are. A higher amount of insulin makes the lipases more active and stores fat in the adipose tissue. As more fat is stored, the cells grow larger to accommodate the fat because the adipose tissue doesn't typically form more cells in adults.
Fat Breakdown
When a person is expending a lot of energy and is not taking in more calories than are expended, insulin production is reduced. This causes the lipases to become less active, so fat storage stops. To get energy that's stored in the body if it's not coming from food, the body secretes various hormones that have the opposite effect as insulin. Fat stored in the adipose tissue cells is broken down for energy, and the cell shrinks in size.
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