ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Adipose tissue

Adipose tissue is a special kind of tissue in our body that helps us store energy in the form of fat. You know how sometimes you eat too much food and feel really full? Well, when we eat more food than our body needs for energy, our body turns that extra food into fat and stores it in adipose tissue.

Adipose tissue is made up of little things called adipocytes, which are like tiny little storage containers for fat. Think of them like little containers or bags that can fill up with fat when we eat too much. These little bags of fat can then be used by our body when we need energy later on. So, adipose tissue is really important because it serves as a backup energy source for our body.

Sometimes people talk about "brown adipose tissue" and "white adipose tissue." Brown adipose tissue is a special kind of adipose tissue that helps our body generate heat. It's really important for keeping our body warm when it's cold outside. White adipose tissue is the kind of adipose tissue that most people think of when they think of fat. It's important for storing energy, but too much white adipose tissue can be unhealthy because it can lead to health problems like diabetes and heart disease.

So, to sum it up, adipose tissue is like a special type of tissue in our body that helps us store energy in the form of fat. It's really important because it serves as a backup energy source for our body, but we need to be careful not to have too much of it because that can be unhealthy.