Brief History of Fat

Fat is a complex organ, as essential to human life as the heart or liver. Why do we hate it?

By Adam Bolt, Jessica Harrop, and Elliot Kirschner

This video is part of a series on diabetes produced by the Science Communication Lab. It’s published here in partnership with Slate.

There is perhaps no part of the human body more maligned than fat. It’s considered ugly, unnecessary, and unhealthy. But fat is actually a complex organ, as essential to human life as a heart or liver.

The short documentary above, “A Brief History of Fat,” challenges us to rethink fat by explaining why we have it, how it works, and how it may make us sick. It turns out cutting-edge science is uncovering the wonders of fat, and it’s time the rest of us gave it a second look. Watch the video above, and stay tuned for future episodes of the series.

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Adam Bolt is an independent documentary filmmaker.

Jessica Harrop is a documentary film producer.

Elliot Kirschner is a filmmaker specializing in science content.

Link: http://www.slate.com/articles/video/science/2017/12/why_fat_is_so_important_to_the_human_body_and_why_we_hate_it.html