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It seems like everyday you hear about a new do-it-all fitness regimen or a new study showing that the exercises that you once thought were best are actually bad for you. In our 21st Century Fitness series, we consult the brightest minds to try to cut through the fat and find out what it really takes to be fit and healthy today.

The Science of Fat

Laura Lewis via Flickr/CC, http://bit.ly/2ix26sf

Body fat is a source of shame for many people, something to be hidden, fought, and burned away. But fat, says the biochemist Sylvia Tara, isn’t just unsightly blubber, it’s an essential and deeply misunderstood organ that’s vital to our existence. It enables our reproductive organs, strengthens our immune system, protects us from disease, and may even help us live longer. In a new book, Tara explores the science behind our least appreciated organ, and she joins us Wednesday to talk about it.

Sylvia Tara holds a PhD in biochemistry from the University of California, San Diego, and an MBA from the Wharton School of Business. Her new book is called The Secret Life of Fat: The Science Behind the Body's Least Understood Organ and What It Means for You [Amazon|Independent bookstores].

Doug Fabrizio has been reporting for KUER News since 1987, and became News Director in 1993. In 2001, he became host and executive producer of KUER's RadioWest, a one hour conversation/call-in show on KUER 90.1 in Salt Lake City. He has gained a reputation for his thoughtful style. He has interviewed everyone from Isabel Allende to the Dalai Lama, and from Madeleine Albright to Desmond Tutu. His interview skills landed him a spot as a guest host of the national NPR program, "Talk of the Nation." He has won numerous awards for his reporting and for his work with RadioWest and KUED's Utah NOW from such organizations as the Society of Professional Journalists, the Utah Broadcasters Association, the Public Radio News Directors Association and the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.