In this week's Science Focus Podcast chef and author of the book The Truth About Fat: Why Obesity is Not that Simple (£9.99, Oneworld), Anthony Warner chews the fat about, well, fat.Pretty much all of us have been tempted at some point in our lives to shed some weight around our midriff, especially when we see our BMI creeping over 25, but what does this actually mean, and is it really a reliable measure of general health?He speaks to our editorial assistant Amy Barrett about why the body needs fat, what influences our body shape, and why there is so much stigma about being obese.Read the full transcriptionLet us know what you think of the episode with a review or a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.Subscribe to the Science Focus Podcast on these services: Acast, iTunes, Stitcher, RSS, OvercastListen to more episodes of the Science Focus Podcast:Samantha Alger: What can we do to save the bees?Randall Munroe: How do you find the worst solution to any problem?Bill Bryson: What should we know about how our bodies work?Phillippa Diedrichs: Is body positivity the answer to body image issues?Professor Catharina Svanborg: Is the cure for cancer hiding in human breast milk?Giles Yeo: Eating for your genes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.