No intervention for obesity has been proven to produce clinically significant and sustainable weight loss in the medium- to long-term. Not diet, not exercise, not behavioural interventions, not even bariatric surgery.

There is "inadequate" provision to treat obese patients in the NHS, a report suggests. Experts said the healthcare system must adapt to meet the ne...

Consider if you could never see your children play football or swim how you would feel? Yet thousands of us don't bother to do these things or do so less and less. So you have a choice. If not for your sake then for little David's or Brittany's sake-do the right thing and put a limit on Game Station time equalled by activity play time.

Two out of every five African-American women avoid exercise because of concerns about their hairstyles, a study has found. The findings, which wer...

At the end of the day, everyone has a choice when they shop for food. There are enough choices in a supermarket to be able to eat healthily, even on a budget. It's a question of balance, moderation and good old-fashioned exercise.

But why do I care so much, then? Because I'm offended. I'm overweight and these jokes offend me. Why is it okay to make jokes that offend and hurt a large (yes, I read it!) part of our society? It shouldn't be!

Blaming the food industry for making you fat is a bit like blaming Hooters because your husband likes breasts. It may be comforting to curse the corporate giants as you reach for another chocolate digestive, but it's attitudes like this that will end up destroying the NHS.

The science underpinning the importance of breast feeding has been well documented and cannot be overstated. In 2003 the Lancet published a series on child survival emphasising that exclusive breast feeding, if universalised, could save 13% of all under five deaths, (an estimated 1.3million in the 42 high mortality countries).

I don't disagree with Professor Tim Benton of the Global Food Security programme who says that "children who go hungry and fill up on monotonous diets based on highly processed carbohydrates, little fresh vegetables and no fruit are likely to have poor nutritional status.

Parking charges should be increased to encourage more people to walk, health officials have advised. Employers along with local authorities and the...

Since when did Christmas become about stuffing ourselves with Christmas cheer? To celebrate family and friends and to see how much we can eat without being sick? And then exercise and starve like a maniac to lose all the weight we've piled on in the name of fun?

Parents who regularly drive to school are not ensuring the safety of their children - they're actually putting their lives and the lives of others at risk. The sooner we accept this, ditch the car keys and start treading the tarmac, the better life will be for everyone.

Rising levels of obesity are leading to an increase in the number of people suffering from knee pain, a surgeon said. Consultant orthopaedic surgeo...

What I find equally concerning though, are the moneyed middle classes, whose expanding waistlines and diet related illnesses are costing the country just as much time and money, and yet they do have a choice.

This is one way to turn a child into an aspiring Beckham and avoid him become a bullied obese boy. You are the parent aren't you? I mean who is running your household?

Worryingly, nearly a quarter (24%) of owners were not given any advice on any aspect of health or welfare when they got their pet. Many people appear to have no idea about the costs and long-term commitments involved when taking on a pet but all owners are responsible for the duty of care to any of their pets.

I do not want to judge anyone's choices for how they choose to use their own body, but when those choices are having a negative impact on their health and on their children, that seems to be the line where I'm willing to say that something is wrong.

Did you know that statistically on average all of us gain a pound a year from the age of 28 onwards - for the rest of our lives?

In the winter we have to go against our natural inclination to reduce our activity levels as its dark and miserable in the outside, as well as endeavouring to be more disciplined in our eating patterns - despite the encompassing festive season - aiming to keep evening and night-time carbohydrate intake low, especially those of the simple variety e.g. white pasta, white bread, white rice, baked/roast potatoes, baked goods, soft drinks, desserts etc, to reduce insulin demand. For serious cases of rhythmic misalignment bright light therapy can also be used.

Our main objective then as individuals should be to stay the heck out of hospitals! We also should be helping others to do the same by living healthily. Obesity is a choice, granted it may be an economically influenced one in some cases (people who eat junk tend to be less educated than those who do not) but by putting a fast food shop in walking distance of every school are we really being smart?

It horrifies me to see people gorging on products marketed as "low fat" that are loaded with carbohydrates and sugar which is more likely to lead to increased weight. There is mounting scientific evidence that not only is sugar toxic to the body but it also drives appetite by interfering with hormones produced by the brain that give us a sense of fullness.

Sadly pet obesity is now one of the major issues affecting pet health in the UK. It's often unrecognised by pet owners, who may not notice gradual weight gain, or may simply regard a chubby pet as cuddly and well-fed. Yet, as with us humans, obesity is linked to serious problems such as arthritis, diabetes, heart disease and a shorter life expectancy.

I have previously discussed how a "junk food" tax is an idealistic, ill conceived notion, and its feasibility and outcome far different in reality than it is on paper. That is, except for soft drinks which I proposed should be taxed as high as 100%.

Two new studies show the prevalence of gout in the UK and the US has risen in recent years. According to research by the University of Queensland, ...