Subcutaneous fat

Japanese: 皮下脂肪 - ひかしぼう（英語表記）subcutaneous fat

A layer of fat that develops just beneath the surface of the mammalian body. It is small in animals with developed body hair, but is well developed in animals with relatively little body hair and in aquatic mammals. In humans, it is most developed in adult women, who have large amounts deposited all over the body, characterizing the female body shape. It is next in number in both sexes before puberty, and even in adult men, it is small in amount but always present all over the body. The first function of subcutaneous fat is insulation, which helps maintain body temperature. The second function is to store surplus nutrients ingested in the form of fat and use them as an energy source when needed. Therefore, it increases or decreases in response to changes in exercise and physiological functions, but it is said that it is first noticeable in the face, then the limbs, and that the trunk (thorax and abdomen) shows relatively little change.

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia About Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia Information

Japanese:

哺乳類の体表のすぐ下に発達した脂肪層。体毛の発達した動物では量が少いが，体毛の比較的少い動物や水生哺乳類にはよく発達している。ヒトで最も発達しているのは成人女性で，全身的に大量の沈着がみられ，女性の体形を特徴づけている。これに次ぐのは思春期以前の男女で，成人男性でも量的には少いが全身に必ず存在する。皮下脂肪の機能の第1は断熱性で，体温保持に役立つ。第2は摂取栄養分のうちの余剰分を脂肪の形でたくわえておき，必要に応じてエネルギー源とすることである。そのため，運動や生理機能の変化に応じて増減がみられるが，それはまず顔に現れ，次いで四肢が影響を受け，体幹部 (胸腹部) は比較的変動が少いといわれている。

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