This is The Guardian.

When it comes to our bodies, there's one part that has been more maligned, stigmatised and misunderstood

than any other fat.

For a long time, it was simply seen as an inert yellow substance wrapping around us,

but that idea is changing.

Scientists are beginning to understand that our fat is actually intricate and dynamic, constantly in conversation

with the rest of our body.

It's now considered by some to be an organ in its own right.

So today, the truth about fat and the complex role it plays in our health.

I'm the Guardian science editor, Ian Sampal, and this is Science Weekly.

So Maddie, we're asking, is body fat really so bad?

But before we get to the pros and cons, start me off with the basics.

Like, what is fat?

So the biological term for fat is adipose tissue.

And it's a connective tissue, which is basically the body's structural support.

And it's found all over the body.

There's a layer in between the skin and the muscle.

And that's called our subcutaneous fat.

And that's the fat that you would, I guess, in a way you see.

And then you have visceral fat and that sits between and around your internal organs and it cushions

them and it helps hold them in place.

It's also actually inside our bones and its function there is slightly less clear than in other

...