Australians are eating themselves to death and our food choices are one of the nation's leading causes of environmental damage, according to a new report released today (15 February) by the Public Health Association of Australia (PHAA).

University of Granada researchers have identified four plant extracts that might help in preventing and fighting obesity. The researchers identified the most effective plant extracts through in vitro assays; subsequently, extracts were tested on rats. While the results obtained are promising, further studies on animals are required to evaluate and confirm the anti-obesity effects of these ...

Exercise is the key to overcoming the adverse metabolic effects passed on to offspring by their overweight mothers, with research showing for the first time these effects can be almost completely reversed through physical activity.

We are getting fatter - no matter which way we look at it, a Deakin University analysis of two popular obesity testing methods has found.

A research team led by Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute has for the first time demonstrated that the effect of obesity on the risk of premature death is seriously underestimated unless a person's hip circumference is taken into account.

A simple program involving colour-coded food labeling and adjusting the way food items are positioned in display cases was successful in encouraging more healthful food choices in a large hospital cafeteria.

FoodSwitch, an Australian-first iPhone app, has been launched recently to help shoppers make healthier food choices in the supermarket and reduce high levels of fat, salt and sugar from their diets.

Researchers in Family and Community Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University recently found that obesity was linked to higher rates of prostate cancer screening across all races/ethnic differences and lower rates of cervical cancer screening, most notably in white women. Their study on the role of obesity in cancer screening rates for prostate, cervical as well as breast and colorectal cancers ...

Going out to eat has become a major part of our culture. Frequently eating out and consuming high-calorie foods in large portions at restaurants can contribute to excess calorie intake and weight gain. However, a study in the January/February 2012 issue of the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior demonstrates that individuals can eat out and still lose weight.

In a study conducted among 25 healthy individuals living in a controlled setting who were randomised to overconsumption of different levels of protein diets, those consuming the low-protein diet had less weight gain compared to those consuming normal and high protein diets, and calories alone, and not protein appeared to contribute to an increase in body fat, according to a study in the ...