Strong and Beautiful: Why We All Need Body Fat

Body fat has long been cast as something to burn, shrink or eliminate. But as experts voice concern about a renewed push towards extreme thinness, that familiar message overlooks a basic fact: fat is essential to a functioning body.

Fat tissue does more than store energy. It helps insulate the body, cushions organs and plays a role in regulating hormones. Having too little can disrupt important processes, including reproductive function and the maintenance of healthy bones.

Diet culture often reduces this complex tissue to a cosmetic problem, encouraging people to judge their health by their size. Yet appearance alone cannot establish whether someone is healthy, and a thinner body is not automatically a healthier one.

That does not mean the amount or distribution of body fat is irrelevant. Excess fat, particularly around internal organs, can increase health risks. The distinction is between recognising those risks and treating all body fat as an enemy.

Concern over the return of extreme thinness highlights the need for a broader conversation about health. Adequate nutrition, physical activity and individual medical needs offer a more useful starting point than pressure to make bodies as small as possible.