Scientists believe fat plays an important role in helping the body to work properly.

Scientists believe fat plays an important role in helping the body to work properly. They are so impressed with its abilities that they have suggested fat should no longer be thought of as "excess" tissue but should instead be upgraded to the class of body organ. Researchers have found that fat plays an important role in protecting bones and organs, regulating hormones and the immune system and managing women's reproductive systems. Studies have revealed fat produces an important hormone called leptin that communicates with the brain, informing it how the body's energy levels are doing. Simon Coppack, a researcher at the Royal London Medical School said: "Fat is an organ. You should probably think of it as a little bit like the liver." The hormone tells the brain when the body needs to eat and when it has eaten too much. But it also plays a role in the reproduction process. Women with very little body fat, such as anorexics, do not have periods. Speaking to New Scientist magazine, Simon Coppack said body fat can contribute to a healthy pregnancy.