It's time to rethink our relationship with fat

We've all moaned about a bit of podge on our thighs or tummies, but that fat is not an inert lump of lard - it has an important job to do. And now, scientists are starting to find out even more about its hidden powers

- TOM IRELAND

According to much of what we see on social media, in magazines and on TV, the fat on our bodies is something we need to either fight constantly with exercise and diet, or stop worrying about and celebrate. But in reality, our fat is far more than just a symbol of how healthy our lifestyle is, or of how body confident we may be.

Fat is one of the most important elements of our diet, and the fatty tissue beneath our skin plays a part in keeping us alive and healthy. In chemical terms, fats are long, chain-like molecules that have many roles across all forms of life on Earth. Among their many useful properties, they are an excellent way to store energy, and many organisms convert energy from the food they eat into reserves of fat - from the vegetable oils found in the seeds and fruits of plants, to the inches-thick layer of blubber beneath the skin of large marine mammals.

It is only in recent decades, as an abundance of energy-rich food has caused an epidemic of obesity worldwide, that this vital component of our diet has become so problematic. When we store too much fat, it causes the vital functions of our fatty tissue to start to fail, leading to many different health issues, from diabetes to stroke to fatty liver disease.

For most of human history, though, our ancestors were more preoccupied with dying from malnutrition and hunger than with looking toned and svelte, and our body fat was the energy store that saved people when food was scarce. In many non-Western cultures, animal fat remains something of a luxury food item, or even a delicacy.

WHAT IS FAT?