Why Your Body Needs Fat to Stay Alive
Health
October 1, 2026

Why Your Body Needs Fat to Stay Alive

152 words · ~1 min read
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B1 Pre-Intermediate
0:000:53

Follow spoken words in real time.

Many people think having a lot of body fat is bad. Social media and adverts often show very thin bodies and praise losing fat quickly. However, doctors say having too little body fat is also dangerous for our health.

The most important reason for this is that fat does more than just affect how we look. Fat stores energy for later, produces hormones, and protects important organs. Body fat also helps keep the body warm and controls other body functions like the immune system. If someone has too little fat, their body cannot work properly and may become weak or sick.

Because of this, the key result is that both too much and too little body fat can harm the body. Doctors now say it is important to have a healthy amount of fat. People should try to be strong and healthy, instead of only trying to be as thin as possible.

Vocabulary

6 words
Accent
praiseV/preɪz/

express strong approval or admiration for something

producesV/prəˈdjuːs/

to make or create something new naturally

hormonesN/ˈhɔːr.moʊnz/

chemical substances regulating body growth and functions

organsN/ˈɔːrɡənz/

body parts that perform specific vital functions

immuneADJ/ɪˈmjuːn/

able to resist a particular harmful disease

functionsN/ˈfʌŋkʃənz/

natural activities or processes of the body

Ready to learn these 6 words?

About 8 minutes · 5 activities

Reading Quizzes

9 questions
Question 1 of 9
1 / 9

Why do doctors say having too little body fat is dangerous?

Choose an answer to continue

Great for IELTS, TOEFL, SAT, IB, A-Level and everyday English speaking practice.

Speaking Tasks

5 questions

Why Your Body Needs Fat to Stay Alive

October 1, 2026~1 min read
Not sure? Take the level test →
B1 Pre-Intermediate
0:000:53

Follow spoken words in real time.

Many people think having a lot of body fat is bad. Social media and adverts often show very thin bodies and praise losing fat quickly. However, doctors say having too little body fat is also dangerous for our health.

The most important reason for this is that fat does more than just affect how we look. Fat stores energy for later, produces hormones, and protects important organs. Body fat also helps keep the body warm and controls other body functions like the immune system. If someone has too little fat, their body cannot work properly and may become weak or sick.

Because of this, the key result is that both too much and too little body fat can harm the body. Doctors now say it is important to have a healthy amount of fat. People should try to be strong and healthy, instead of only trying to be as thin as possible.

Vocabulary

6 words
Accent
praiseV/preɪz/

express strong approval or admiration for something

producesV/prəˈdjuːs/

to make or create something new naturally

hormonesN/ˈhɔːr.moʊnz/

chemical substances regulating body growth and functions

organsN/ˈɔːrɡənz/

body parts that perform specific vital functions

immuneADJ/ɪˈmjuːn/

able to resist a particular harmful disease

functionsN/ˈfʌŋkʃənz/

natural activities or processes of the body

Ready to learn these 6 words?

About 8 minutes · 5 activities

Reading Quizzes

9 questions
Question 1 of 9
1 / 9

Why do doctors say having too little body fat is dangerous?

Choose an answer to continue

Great for IELTS, TOEFL, SAT, IB, A-Level and everyday English speaking practice.

Speaking Tasks

5 questions