Capacity 03 · Preserve Functionality
Signal · Visceral Fat

The fat that behaves like an endocrine organ.

Visceral fat wraps the organs and acts like a gland — secreting inflammatory signals, interfering with insulin, and taxing recovery. It is the fat that matters most, independent of body weight or BMI.


The ranges that matter

Four bands. One direction.

What matters most is the direction over time under the same conditions — is the number trending toward the Fit band, or drifting away from it? Your Radar scores every marker 0–100 on the same four-band continuum you see on your report: Fit (90+), Well (50–89), Short of well (26–49), Sick (25 and under). A score of 25 is the diagnosable line at any age. The values below are the age-40 reference — the bands shift with your age and sex, so use the calculator underneath for your own numbers.

Fit
≤ 0.64 kg (M) · ≤ 0.51 (W)
Low visceral load and low chronic inflammatory signalling. Strong recovery and metabolic flexibility.
Well
0.64 – 2.27 kg (M) · 0.51 – 1.82 (W)
Moderate visceral fat, drifting above the Fit line. Usually responsive to sustained training and nutrition change.
Short of well
2.27 – 3.44 kg (M) · 1.82 – 2.75 (W)
The Radar scores 25 around 3.44 kg (M) and 2.75 kg (W) — roughly 7.6 and 6.1 lb. Strongly associated with insulin resistance and chronic inflammation.
Sick
≥ 3.44 kg (M) · ≥ 2.75 (W)
High visceral depot. Lower this and nearly every other marker on the Radar improves with it.
Unitkg of DXA VAT (the intake form accepts lb and converts)
Test typeDXA scan (gold standard) or validated body composition scale
Look atabsolute VAT value, not just waist circumference

What it reveals

Weight hides it. DXA doesn't.

Not all fat is the same. Subcutaneous fat — the fat under the skin — is largely storage. It sits quietly and holds energy. Visceral fat is different: it wraps the liver, pancreas, and intestines, and it behaves like an active endocrine organ.

Visceral fat secretes inflammatory molecules (adipokines, cytokines) directly into the portal circulation that feeds the liver. It distorts insulin signaling, drives up CRP, and suppresses the resolution of injury and exertion.

This is why two people at the same weight can have very different metabolic health. The scale does not tell you whether the fat you carry is inert or signaling. DXA and quality body-composition scales do.

VAT lives in Preserve Functionality because it is the body-composition marker that most erodes long-term reserve — the visceral depot grows as structural quality slips, and lowering it protects the metabolic buffer that keeps you capable over time. Lower visceral fat, and nearly every other marker improves with it.

On the floor If you are told your weight is fine but you are tired, inflamed, and training feels heavier than it should — get a body-composition scan. The weight is not the question. What kind of weight it is, is the question.

Coaches only

The intervention levers live with coaches.

The education above is open to everyone. The specific levers — what to actually do to move this marker — are part of the coaching program. Enter your coach password to unlock, or get in touch about becoming a coach.

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Go deeper
Get your Radar → Read the science All signals
Coaching and education only. Not medical diagnosis or treatment. Excerpts welcome with attribution to metabolicradar.com.