In nonobese adults, fat cells in the abdomen have more beta-adrenoceptors than fat cells in the buttocks, and this correlates with a much stronger fat-breaking response to noradrenaline in abdominal fat cells.

In people who are not obese, fat cells around the abdomen break down fat more strongly in response to noradrenaline than fat cells in the buttocks, and this difference is larger in women than in men.

In women without obesity, fat cells around the abdomen are less responsive to signals that normally stop fat breakdown, compared to fat cells in the hips and thighs. This difference in signal sensitivity helps explain why abdominal fat breaks down more easily in women than in men, even though the number of receptors involved is the same.

Fat cells in the lower abdomen have more alpha-2 receptors than beta receptors, which makes them less responsive to signals that trigger fat breakdown.

The strength with which fat cells bind to fat-burning signals is the same in belly and buttock fat, and the same in men and women. Differences in how easily fat is broken down are due to how many receptors are present, not how strongly they bind.

Fat cells found deeper in the belly (visceral) have more cortisol receptors than fat cells under the skin (subcutaneous), so they respond more strongly to the stress hormone cortisol by taking in more fat and growing faster.