body fat

Medical Definition of body fat

1 : fat contained in adipose tissue In talking about fats, it is important to distinguish between dietary lipids—what you consume in foods—as opposed to body fat or blood lipids—those that are stored in adipose tissue or that circulate in the blood. — W. Virgil Brown and Donald A. Smith, in Total Nutrition: The Only Guide You'll Ever Need, 1995

Note: In the human body, body fat is typically stored below the skin and surrounding the internal organs.

2 : adipose tissue From infancy up to adolescence, the growth of body fat or adipose tissue is fairly steady in boys and girls. — Wm. Cameron Chumlea and Michael LaMonte, in Pediatric Nutrition, 4th edition, 2012