When estrogen levels are out of balance, the body starts storing fat in the wrong places—instead of the harmless fat under the skin, it gets stored in the dangerous fat around internal organs.

The study shows that estrogen is produced differently in belly fat vs under-skin fat, and that more estrogen is made in visceral fat as people gain weight. This supports the idea that estrogen plays a role in where fat is stored, but doesn't prove estrogen actively redirects fat storage.