Fatty tissue is the body's way of storing metabolic energy over extended periods of time. Depending on current physiological conditions, fat cells or adipocytes either store fat that is derived from the diet or liver metabolism, or release stored fat as fatty acids in times of additional energy requirement. The location of this fat determines it's metabolic profile. Visceral fat is located within the abdominal cavity, where as subcutaneous fat is located beneath the skin above the abdominal muscle.