Some Good News About Belly Fat

Well this should clear things up.

A fatty membrane in the belly called the omentum has until recently been considered somewhat like the appendix - it didn't seem to serve much purpose.

But Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine researchers have found that the omentum appears to play an important role in regulating the immune system. The finding could lead to new drugs for organ transplant patients and patients with auto-immune diseases such as lupus and Crohn's disease.

"We now have evidence that the omentum is not just fat sitting in the belly," said Makio Iwashima, PhD, corresponding author of a study* published in PLoS ONE. Iwashima is an associate professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology.

The omentum is a membrane that lines the abdominal cavity and covers most abdominal organs. It is a repository for fat tissue.

Good luck sorting this stuff out.