Stillbirth is a major but under-researched public health problem affecting three million families each year. Following the 2011 Lancet Stillbirth Series, it has been receiving more attention, and a recent…
Taboos in porn can be shocking, but they can also be very revealing about our sexual apetites.
Flickr/billypalooza
Fat people having sex, ugly people having sex, old people having sex. All too readily our culture cringes, shudders, if not gags at the thought. After all, if film and television have taught us anything…
Children aren't suited to adult-style fitness programs using exercise bikes, treadmills and rowers.
Axel Bu hrmann
With one in five Australian preschool-age children now overweight or obese, it’s no wonder kids' weight is so often in the media spotlight.
While the causes of obesity are complex and multifactorial…
Sugar doesn't play a greater or lesser role in obesity than fat and other carbohydrates.
Esther Gibbons
By Peter Clifton, Baker IDI Heart & Diabetes Institute
The debate about the health implications of sugar consumption began back in 1972 when Professor John Judkin, from the University of London, published Pure, White and Deadly, which linked sugar intake to…
There's a tendency to believe that only obese people need to be educated about unhealthy and unnecessary foods.
Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity
Parents in Australia recently made headlines expressing frustration with a health-care system that confuses weight with health.
They’ve been expressing their anger at two related, but separate, offenses…
Exercising at a moderate intensity is enough to reduce your blood pressure and cholesterol.
Flickr/dangerouslyfit
You don’t need to follow the “no pain, no gain” mantra to reap the health benefits of exercise, a new study shows.
Military-style boot camps that deliver fast-paced, high-intensity training (and chastise…
Chocolate can be good for you … in moderation.
AAP
People who eat chocolate on a regular basis tend to be thinner, even when they do not exercise more often, a new study claims.
But health experts have warned that the findings of the study, published…
The Conversation's health coverage: policy, chiropractic, obesity and medicine.
AAP, Planetc1.com, Puuiki Beach, LJA Kliche
In The Conversation’s first editorial meeting editor Andrew Jaspan explained what he wanted to achieve with the site: a more informed level of debate, based on evidence, research and expert opinion.
It…
Better diets and more exercise could prevent 43,000 cancer diagnoses a year.
joshbousel
Cancer is one of the most common public health threats facing Australians and accounts for nearly one-fifth of the disease burden in this country. The direct cost to the Australian community is approaching…
We can reduce rates of childhood obesity but it requires a coordinated, consistent approach.
Sean Dreilinger
Seventeen years of our research into childhood obesity is starting to deliver dividends. We now know what kinds of interventions are effective for reducing the number of overweight and obese children in…
Australia's revised dietary guidelines must consider environmental sustainability.
Wonderlane
The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) is currently revising the Australian Dietary Guidelines. Yet, despite expert advice from public health and environmental sustainability groups…
The risk of cancer from air pollution is a fraction of the hazard posed by smoking.
EPA/Alex Hofford
The fixation on potentially cancer-causing chemicals in the air, food and consumer products is diverting attention from the real risks, according to a review of global evidence by an Australian cancer…
Just getting off your chair regularly and moving around is enough to improve your health.
Victor1558
By David Dunstan, Baker IDI Heart & Diabetes Institute
I’ve never been a smoker but lately I’ve started to take on some of the same zeal of reformed addicts. You see, a few years ago, I took a long, hard look at myself and decided to kick one of the most unnecessary…
Evidence suggests that up to 30% of people who are obese are perfectly healthy.
Rudd Centre for Food Policy
No one can claim to be unaware of the risks of obesity in this day and age. Almost every day there are discussions in the media about the risks of carrying excess fat. But research shows the link between…
One reason we feel comfortable laughing at fat bodies is because we believe we can assess an individual’s personal and moral characteristics by their body.
Robert Danay
Recent articles on perceptions of overweight and obese people have attracted a lot of attention from those with something to say about the overweight and the obese. One point that seems clear from the…
Focussing on individual behaviour for preventing and managing obesity is simplistic and misleading.
Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity
By Jessica L. Browne, Australian Centre for Behavioural Research in Diabetes and Jane Speight, Australian Centre for Behavioural Research in Diabetes
For anyone having doubts about overweight or obese people feeling blamed and shamed, the comments on a recent article about a positive image library should settle the matter. They clearly illustrate the…
The image library presents obese people in positive, natural poses. Here, Zoe prepares for work.
Isaac Brown
Discussions about obesity tend to focus on perceived health risks and the financial drain they pose to the health system. What’s less recognised is that the way we talk about obesity makes the social position…
If we're to confront obesity and with any real impact, we need to examine the way modern lifestyles have dramatically altered our food intake and energy expenditure.
Darwin Bell
By Paul Zimmet, Baker IDI Heart & Diabetes Institute
By 2025, it’s predicted that ⅔ of the Australian population aged over 25 will be overweight or obese if current trends continue. To paint the picture more crudely, it means that a person of normal weight…
The food industry has won this round but the traffic light labelling fight isn't over yet.
IJClark
The Federal Government has defied expert advice and rejected a traffic light food labelling system for packaged foods, saying there wasn’t enough evidence to show it would give consumers the information…
The multi-country study concluded that in Australia, television advertising’s contribution to childhood obesity is between 10% and 28%.
Maggie Osterberg
A recent complaint to the Advertising Standards Board by the Obesity Policy Coalition about a Smarties online colouring-in competition aimed at three- to ten-year-olds, and a bill introduced by Greens…
Fruit juice contains as much sugar as soft drink.
Gail M Tang
We often hear, from health experts and well-meaning parents, that soft drink is terribly unhealthy and we should opt for fruit juice instead. But apart from a few additional vitamins and minerals, there…
Research has found having an overweight father quadruples the chances of kids being overweight.
Conor Ashleigh
The increase in childhood obesity over the last few decades is frightening. Clearly fresh thinking is needed. New evidence of father’s impact on children’s weight gain may point us toward novel approaches…
Being overweight or obese can increase a teen's risk of developing a number of diseases.
Cindy Shar-pei
Picture this common scenario: A mother is worried about the size of her 13-year-old daughter, who appears quite a bit heavier than the other students in her class. But the mother is reassured by her friend…
While we try to come to terms with the number of obese people, the chance to reverse the growing trend could be lost.
austinevan
This is a shorter version of an article that appears in the latest issue of Perspectives, an opinion-led journal published by Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute.
It’s predicted that two-thirds of…
Interventions that influence different aspects of the food and physical activity environments are needed to tackle obesity among children.
wizardhat/Flickr
This is a shorter version of an article that appears in the latest issue of Perspectives, an opinion-led journal published by Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute.
The prevalence of overweight and obesity…
The majority of obese people will have at least one other chronic disease.
Mallinaltzin
This is a shorter version of an article that appears in the latest issue of Perspectives, an opinion-led journal published by Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute.
Maladaption is the inability of a…
Prescription weight loss medicines are expensive and don't produce lasting results.
Flickr/Flashstep
Welcome to part nine of The science behind weight loss, a Conversation series in which we separate the myths about dieting from the realities of exercise and nutrition. Here, Lennert Veerman, Senior Research…
Losing weight and keeping it off can be hard due to hormonal changes.
Colros
Welcome to part eight of The science behind weight loss, a Conversation series in which we separate the myths about dieting from the realities of exercise and nutrition. Here, Joseph Proietto, Professor…
Promises of a quick weight-loss fix mask the realities of liposuction.
Laura Mary
Welcome to part seven of The science behind weight loss, a Conversation series in which we separate the myths about dieting from the realities of exercise and nutrition. Here, health sociologist Rhian…
How much weight can be lost from reducing calorie intake is generally misunderstood.
Flickr/puuikibeach
Welcome to part four of The science behind weight loss, a Conversation series in which we separate the myths about dieting from the realities of exercise and nutrition. Here, Deakin University Public Health…
Your long-term weight loss success is dependant on both exercise and nutrition.
Kenny Holston
Welcome to part four of The science behind weight loss, a Conversation series in which we separate the myths about dieting from the realities of exercise and nutrition. Here, Deakin University nutrition…
Diet pill manufacturers take advantage of consumers' desire to look and feel better.
Flickr/jypsygen
Welcome to part two of The science behind weight loss, a new Conversation series in which we separate the myths about dieting from the realities of exercise and nutrition.
Here, Michael Vagg, Clinical…
Fad diets might give you short-term "results" but they're unlikely to keep the weight off.
Flickr/HTB
Welcome to The science behind weight loss, a new Conversation series where we separate the myths about dieting from the realities of exercise and nutrition. In our first instalment, renowned nutritionist…
As a pregnant woman's weight increases above normal levels, so does her child's risk of asthma.
Flickr/limascarjuliet
By Adrian Lowe, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute
Being obese during pregnancy dramatically increases the risk of the child developing asthma by their tenth birthday, according a study published online in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology…
An analysis of newspaper reporting about sweet drinks found coverage was largely positively oriented.
barekim/Flickr
Sugary drinks are very popular, almost entirely unnecessary, and contribute to a number of health problems.
Despite such health risks, these drinks are increasingly marketed as healthy with labels highlighting…
Australia needs a tax on unhealthy foods that covers more than just fat content.
Flickr/ms Tea
Australia should follow the lead of Denmark and consider taxing foods high in saturated fats to curb the nation’s growing obesity problem, Greens leader Bob Brown said at yesterday’s tax forum.
This week…
The Heart Foundation today announced plans to dump its tick from takeaway foods, citing unfair advantage for companies such as McDonalds over small takeaway outlets that can’t afford the accreditation…
The most promising interventions to curb obesity's prevalence target the population as a whole rather than individuals.
Tobyotter
Non-communicable diseases – Lennert Veerman examines the reasons for the obesity epidemic and options for controlling it.
Obesity levels are on the rise the world over. This is a sign that something is…
Government policies promoting economic growth have contributed to global crises of overconsumption such as obesity.
colros/Flickr
Obesity has been on the rise for some 40 years and will continue to create an enormous burden on global health systems if governments around the world do not take decisive, policy-driven action, according…
Aside from folate, most pregnant women get all the nutrients they need from a balanced diet.
Flickr/Future Street
If you’ve ever been pregnant, you’ll know what it’s like to be bombarded with mixed messages from well-meaning friends and family about what you should eat and avoid to protect your growing baby.
It can…
Excessive sitting increases your risk of chronic disease, even if you get enough exercise.
By David Dunstan, Baker IDI Heart & Diabetes Institute
Whether it’s at work, in cars, watching TV or using the computer, there’s no denying many of us spend the majority of our days sitting.
And while science is yet to prove conclusively that too much sitting…
Adjusting your protein intake can help you lose weight or build muscle mass.
Neric Blein
For most people, successful weight loss comes down to two things: eating less and exercising more. But new research shows we may have been underestimating the role protein plays in losing weight and building…
Guidelines say no TV for under 2s, then no more than two hours a day.
Keenen Brown
If you’ve ever sat your toddler down in front of the television to give yourself a few minutes of much-needed rest, you’re certainly not alone.
But for many parents, those few minutes of bliss that come…
Is it time to end our love affair with energy-dense foods?
Mild Mannered Photographer
For the first time ever, the number of overweight people on Earth outweighs the number that are undernourished.
From the obesity crisis flows a cascade of health and social problems: it burdens healthcare…
Psammomys obesus or the Israeli sand rat provides an insight into how the thrifty gene hypothesis may work.
Tino Strauss
By Paul Zimmet, Baker IDI Heart & Diabetes Institute
In the last few decades, the number of people with diabetes has more than doubled globally, making the combination of type 2 diabetes and obesity (known as diabesity) the largest epidemic the world has…
The UN General Assembly will discuss a global approach to combating non-communicable diseases in September.
AAP
Australia has done well by international comparison in addressing non-communicable diseases (NCDs) over the past fifty years and while there remains much to do, we could play a leading role in the upcoming…
Exercise decreases hunger in the long term.
Puuikibeach/Flickr
It’s time to ignore any advice you’ve heard about your sweat and hard work in the gym sabotaging your weight loss efforts by causing you to eat more. Every little bit of exercise can help shift unwanted…
Keeping weight off is much harder than losing weight in the first instance.
AAP
Prevention is the cornerstone of society’s response to the current obesity epidemic. But even if no more people were to gain much more weight, those who are already obese face serious health problems…
It's how much you eat, not when you eat it, that affects weight management.
If only a cure to world hunger was as easy as dishing out late-night sandwiches to the starving masses, and seeing them gain weight by eating at night.
The reality is that it’s not when you eat, but how…
Children form lifetime brand associations from age two.
flickr/AlternativeMedia
More than 550 international health professionals and organisations have signed a letter to McDonald’s calling for the Ronald McDonald icon to be shelved.
What’s made Ronald McDonald such a successful…
