Visceral fatBelly fat (deep)

Visceral fat is body fat stored deep in the abdomen, wrapped around organs like the liver and intestines — distinct from the subcutaneous fat just under the skin that you can pinch.

It matters because visceral fat is metabolically active and more strongly associated with insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease than fat elsewhere. Two people at the same weight can carry very different amounts of it.

In practice, waist measurements and waist-to-height ratio give a rough proxy, and it responds well to overall fat loss, regular exercise and reduced excess calories — there's no way to target it specifically.