A sugar tax is out according to Dr Jonathan Coleman who says there's no evidence it works. That's wrong, writes Dita De Boni.

In a move that has fired up parents, teachers in the UK have won the right to inspect pupils’ lunchboxes and confiscate unhealthy snacks.

An over-supply of high-energy, high-calorie foods in many countries has been today shown by New Zealand researchers as a likely driver of rising global obesity.

The kind of food Facebook is advertising to teenagers is the subject of a study being done at the University of Auckland.

Not everyone enjoys eating first thing in the morning. But your first choice of foods may contribute to an overall healthy diet.

Scientists believe the online training game may help to change bad eating habits and combat obesity.

Two of the nation's best chefs back the idea of a 'sugar tax' in NZ, but opinions were divided when it came to adopting Jamie's concept in their Auckland eateries.

Jamie Oliver is to slap a "sugar tax" on all sweet drinks served in his restaurants as a protest at the British Government's refusal to introduce one.

Trans fats lurk in lots of New Zealand foods and we need to follow the US' lead and phase out the nasty fat, says local health expert Lee-Anne Wann.

A broad range of public health experts concerned about New Zealand's growing obesity rates want a clampdown on the marketing of unhealthy foods to children.

Editorial: Force-feeding has never been a feature of the humble dairy, yet suddenly it finds itself in the business of public health.

Student Tom Spector explains how he became a McDonald's regular, and why his diet might help to cure obesity.

Research has established that, over time, we learn to associate the flavour of a food with its energy content. This learning is important because it comes to determine how and what we eat.

Life and Style columnist Lee Suckling tackles your modern etiquette and ethical predicaments, one reader-submitted query at a time.

Junk food kills the gut bacteria that can help keep people thin, while Belgian beer and coffee increase them, a new book by a leading academic claims.

People who switched from driving to work to using public transport, cycling or walking lost significant amounts of weight, a study has found.

Taking vitamin D supplements has been found to aid weight loss in obese and overweight people, Italian researchers have found.

In a new attempt to control New Zealand's obesity epidemic, severely overweight patients will have a stomach drain installed through which they pump out excess food.

Excessive sugar and carbohydrates are behind the obesity crisis rather than physical inactivity, claim three experts in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

Scientists call for a new style of bespoke treatment rather than a "one size fits all" approach to tackling the epidemic.

Burger King says it will stop selling toys with its kids meals and will cease advertising to children on television.

Could therapeutic fasting be a solution to many lifestyle diseases such as obesity, diabetes and cancer? The director of a renowned German clinic is convinced of it. Liz Hunt reports.

Doctors are developing protocols to refer obese children to child protection services if their parents ignore medical advice to help their children lose weight.

Doctors are developing protocols to refer obese children to CYF if their parents ignore medical advice to help their children lose weight. Is this a good idea?

Scientists believe the gene Plexin D1 tells fat to gather around the middle, rather than the bottom and thighs.

Daily and occasional diet soft drinkers gained nearly three times as much belly fat as non-drinkers, after they ruled out other factors such as age, exercise and smoking.

Kiwis need to carve about six teaspoons of sugar out of our daily diets if we're to meet new international suggestions for avoiding obesity and rotten teeth.

Natural alternatives to sugar sweeteners exist, but even they have pitfalls if consumed in excess. We are hard-wired to love sweets.

Hundreds of babies are being born clinically obese in the UK every year - including some weighing more than a stone.