Women’s belly fat cells have fewer receptors for stress hormones than men’s, which might mean their fat tissue responds differently to stress.

In women, the fat cells around the belly have fewer receptors for stress hormones than the fat cells under the skin, which might explain why belly fat builds up differently than other kinds of fat.

Fat cells before they fully form have special receptors that can detect stress hormones like cortisol, and these receptors work about the same way as they do in other parts of your body — meaning they’re ready to respond when needed.

Men and women have about the same number of glucocorticoid receptors in their belly and under-skin fat, so the reason men and women store fat differently isn’t because of how many of these receptors they have.