Fat is like religion

The anti-fat fad. We have been bombarded with anti-fat commercials for many years. Science and pseudo-science have invented a multitude of ways to lose weight. Obesity is a problem in many wealthy cultures and vascular diseases resulting form too much fat are the number one killer in our luxurious society. However as with any form of extremism: lose the nuance, lose the plot.

In an article in the online Wall Street Journal, Melinda Beck explains that not all fat is bad and not all slimming is healthy. It turns out that fat cells are much more than just storage bags for the excesses of our over-sumptuous living. They are active communicators with our brain and with regulatory systems in our body. It turns out that battling fat in one part of the body where it is seen may force the body to store its fat elsewhere where it isn't seen, say around the heart and liver. It also turns out that those are bad places to store fat.

Fat is to the body what religion is to society. A little may be good, it regulates and keeps one going in lean times. Become too radical in battling it or too indulgent in allowing it and the whole kit and caboodle stops functioning correctly. There is a golden mean where the body functions just fine with a little bulge here and there. They're not called love handles for nothing. Enjoy the weekend!