The Secret Life of Fat: The Science Behind the Body's Least Understood Organ and What It Means for You

In The Secret Life of Fat, author Sylvia Tara takes the reader on an in-depth, fascinating exploration of the little known scientific role and highly intricate workings of fat. Tara documents her own struggles with losing fat and from there delves into the research and experiments leading up to past and current knowledge of fat, which has recently come to be considered an endocrine organ of the body. Tara covers surprising facts of fat’s usefulness like the recent discovery of adipose derived stem cells. These stem cells have the potential to regenerate soft tissue and grow bone and have already been used in some medical procedures. Tara also explores the causes of fat including genetics, hormones and even some virus antibodies. Finally, she discusses the types of fat and the way fat functions, ending with a helpful section on how to fight the bad fat to lose excess pounds. Throughout, Tara offers a remarkably readable and highly informative read providing a greater appreciation and understanding of fat. As a reader, I tend to shy away from diet and health books as the formulas always seem so pat and unlikely and the reading, highly uninteresting. That said, this book sparked my interest and I wasn’t disappointed. This is a book that is useful to layperson and health-conscious reader as it breaks the issues down but also offers a highly packed dose of facts. Perfect for helping with those after holiday weight loss goals in a reasonable and more appropriate way as well as learning about the amazingly complex way our body functions. The Secret Life of Fat provides an engaging read for all. Disclaimer: I received a free ARC of this book from the publisher on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.