Fat's Bum Rap

Between liposuction and cries about an obesity epidemic, we have lost sight of the important roles played by fat in our bodies -- and the absolute necessity to ensure that we have enough of it. There is such as thing as too little, although admittedly there is such a thing a too much too. But this new "war on fat" is misguided and will, hopefully, have about as much success as other wars we have announced (e.g., war on drugs, war on terrorism, etc.). Man stands apart from the animal kingdom, in part, because of the fat in our bodies. Let's not all get too lean, lest we begin to look and act like our closest relative, the chimpanzee. And, let's give food chains and products containing fat a break. We need the stuff.I am all for getting rid of saturated fats, and for bringing more moderation to our eating habits, but I think it a very bad idea to rid our lives of McDonalds, shakes, candy and the like. We need fat in our bodies to preserve our health, to give us much needed energy, and to keep our brains functioning at high levels. A campaign (not a "war") entitled Some Fat is Good is long overdue, and vitally important to our health and mental status.The New York Times had an excellent article on this:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/07/science/07angi.html?_r=1&oref=slogin