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What Is the Definition of a Fat Cell?

When most people think of fat cells, they associate them with obesity, and think of them as something to eliminate; however, fat cells (adipocytes) play an important role in your development and survival. A closer look at them generally tends to increase respect for those hated, disfiguring, bulging little blobs. The definition of fat cells is as complex as their ability to maintain health or induce illness.

  1. Importance of Fat Cells

    • According to "Why Fat Cells Are Important," North Shore Medical Center Wellness Library, fat cells provide you with a readily available source of stored energy in the form of fatty acids derived from the foods you eat. They aid in maintaining body temperature in order to ensure your survival and in supplying blood to the brain and other organs. During the metabolic process, the fat stored in your cells also supplies nutrients needed to keep your body healthy. Failure to Thrive Syndrome, a condition that manifests with symptoms such as delays in physical growth and weight gain, stunted emotional and developmental functioning according to, "Failure to Thrive," Merck Manuals Online Medical Library. As stated by Dr. John B. Allred in, "Why Fat Cells Are Important," limiting children's food intake to prevent obesity can cause failure to thrive. "Children need a certain amount of fat in the diet for brain and nerve cell development."

    Types of Fat Cells

    • You have two types of fat cells: white adipose (fat) tissue comprised of white adipocytes, and brown adipose tissue made up of brown adipocytes. "Why Fat Cells Are Important" describes adipose tissue as a group of fat cells located throughout the body between skin and muscle tissue and in body cavities.

    White Adipose Tissue

    • According to "Structure and Function of Adipose Cells," WeightLossForAll.com, white adipose tissue conducts less heat than other body tissues helping it to serve as a heat insulator. It secretes hormones that aid in fat metabolism, insulin sensitivity and the regulation of blood pressure. "Adipokines: molecular links between obesity and atherosclerosis," appearing in the American Journal of Physiology, links white adipose tissue to obesity-related diseases.

    Brown Adipose Tissue

    • Brown adipose tissue is more abundant in children than in adults and disappears as people age. Located around organs such as the heart and kidneys, brown fat has a greater blood supply than white fat. An important function of brown fat is to generate heat. It does this by burning calories through the process of thermogenesis. In a study reported in the New England Journal of Medicine, April 9, 2009, researchers concluded that brown adipose tissue may play a vital role in the treatment of obesity.

    Number of Fat Cells

    • The theory that the number of fat cells in the human body increased in persons who gained excess weight is now obsolete as the result of research conducted at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Using carbon-14 dating, Dr. Bruce Buchholz and colleagues have discovered that fat cell development ceases when you become a teenager. Conditions that cause weight gain or obesity increase the size and volume of your fat cells, but their number remains unchanged. The same is true for weight loss---the size of fat cells decreases, not their number.

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