‘Strong and Beautiful’: Why We All Need Body Fat

Body fat has long been cast as something to burn, shed or eliminate. But its essential role in human health offers a different perspective, as experts express concern about a renewed trend towards extreme thinness.

Fat is not simply stored energy. It helps insulate the body, cushions organs and supports normal cell function. Fat tissue also plays a role in hormonal signalling, helping regulate processes including appetite and metabolism.

Diet culture often leaves little room for those functions, presenting fat loss as an achievement in itself. That framing can blur the distinction between caring for health and pursuing an appearance that may be difficult or harmful to maintain.

Having too little body fat can carry health risks, just as excess fat can. Inadequate energy intake and very low fat levels can disrupt reproductive hormones and affect bone health, making extreme leanness an unreliable symbol of wellbeing.

Concern about the return of extreme-thinness ideals puts that distinction back in focus. Body fat is a necessary part of human biology, not an automatic sign of poor health, and a person’s wellbeing cannot be judged by their silhouette alone.