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Body Fat Percent and Distribution

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science

  • 108 Accesses

Synonyms

BMI; Body mass; Waist-to-hip ratio; WHR

Definition

The role of body fat and its distribution in sexual selection

Introduction

White fat is the body’s main energy store and is deposited in two main reservoirs: as visceral fat in the abdomen and as subcutaneous fat on the thighs and buttocks. The visceral component of abdominal fat is more detrimental to long-term health than subcutaneous fat. This may be for partly mechanical reasons; the deposition of fat around the organs in the abdominal cavity may interfere with their normal function. Additionally, the development of insulin resistance (which contributes to diabetes and vascular disease) is attributed to an adipokine called retinol-binding protein 4 (RBP4), which is generated by fat cells. Visceral fat generates greater amounts of RBP4 than subcutaneous fat, and so visceral fat potentially has a disproportionate impact on health.

The distribution of fat on the body differs between the genders. Men and women produce both...

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References

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Psychology, University of Lincoln, Lincoln, UK

    Martin J. Tovée

  2. Clinical Psychology Department, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, UK

    Esther M. Cohen-Tovée

Authors
  1. Martin J. Tovée
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  2. Esther M. Cohen-Tovée
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Martin J. Tovée or Esther M. Cohen-Tovée .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Oakland Univ Dept of Psycholgy, Rochester, Michigan, USA

    Viviana Weekes-Shackelford

  2. Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan, USA

    Todd K. Shackelford

  3. Rochester, Michigan, USA

    Viviana A. Weekes-Shackelford

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© 2016 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

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Tovée, M.J., Cohen-Tovée, E.M. (2016). Body Fat Percent and Distribution. In: Weekes-Shackelford, V., Shackelford, T., Weekes-Shackelford, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_86-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_86-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-16999-6

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