Visceral adipose tissue (VAT)

Definition

Fat stored deep inside the abdomen, surrounding organs like the liver, pancreas, and intestines — distinct from subcutaneous fat (under the skin). VAT is more metabolically active and more strongly linked to cardiometabolic disease than subcutaneous fat. GLP-1 receptor agonists preferentially reduce VAT relative to subcutaneous fat in DEXA substudies of STEP-1 and SURMOUNT-1, which helps explain why weight loss on these drugs reverses cardiometabolic risk faster than calorie restriction alone.

SURMOUNT-1 body-composition endpoints →

Definition curated by Weight Loss Rankings — sourced from FDA labels and peer-reviewed PubMed literature, never AI-generated summaries.

Related terms in Mechanism

• GLP-1 receptor
• GIP receptor
• Dual agonist
• Gastric emptying
• Food noise
• Triple agonist
• Amylin
• GLP-1 tachyphylaxis
• Non-peptide GLP-1 agonist
• A1C (glycated hemoglobin)
• MASH / MASLD
• TBWL (Total Body Weight Loss)
• C-peptide
• eGFR (estimated glomerular filtration rate)

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