Visceral adipose tissue (VAT)
How GLP-1 receptor agonists work — receptors, gastric emptying, and the satiety pathway.
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)
- AHI (apnea-hypopnea index)
- SNAC (oral semaglutide absorption enhancer)
Looking for more depth?
- SURMOUNT-1 body-composition endpoints
- Browse the full GLP-1 glossary (124 terms across 8 categories)
- Research articles — primary-source deep dives
- Tools and calculators
- Compare GLP-1 telehealth providers