Researchers hunting for the next blockbuster heart drug say levels of enzyme activity checked in their study can help to predict a person's risk of coronary heart disease.

The number of New Zealanders dying from strokes has dropped dramatically in the last 20 years, but it's affecting more young and middle-aged people, a major new study has found.

Lack of exercise, $1.50 pies, an abundance of fried chicken and traditional Polynesian food served with lashings of coconut cream have resulted in an obesity rate in Pacific adults of more than 60 per cent.

More than a million New Zealand adults are now obese, according to the 2013 Ministry of Health annual report.

Australia's obesity crisis is far worse than experts thought, with new evidence showing 40 per cent of adults are dangerously fat.

The Greens would support an investigation into how a 'fat tax' on processed food in New Zealand's supermarkets could be imposed.

The less teenage boys sleep, the more body fat they have - but the same isn't true for teenage girls, an Otago University study has found.

A South African immigrant who faced deportation for being clinically obese says he'll be allowed to stay in NZ for another 23 months.

It used to be that sugar was the sweetest, most useful thing in our larder, a crystalline ambrosia that could make almost any food taste better and last longer.

Weight gain could be dictated by the type of bacteria in a person's gut, according to a Washington University study.

Doctors say being overweight will not necessarily send people to an early grave because such a thing as "healthy obesity" exists.

The modern office is never more than a few steps from cafes, bakeries, supermarkets, vending machines, fast food outlets and luxury biscuit makers.

Britain’s poorest families could save money and enjoy more nutritional meals by eating stale bread, Jamie Oliver has suggested.

An immigrant who faces deportation for being obese has given the Government a medical report showing he has a low risk of suffering a heart attack in the next five years.

Attempts to develop a one-size-fits-all obesity drug will fail, according to Australian researchers who say there are too many genetic defects for a single solution.

Tucking into lots of calories at the start of the day can actually assist weight loss, a study has shown.

The campaign announced by Coca-Cola to help reduce obesity has been criticised by some as too little too late. I respectfully disagree.

Coca-Cola is one of the world's truly great brands. It might be no more than fizzed flavoured water and sugar - a great deal of sugar - but last century it was the quintessential American product that literally conquered the globe.

With people unable to resist as portion sizes rise, regulations may be the answer, says Lenny R. Vartania.

Drinks giant Coca-Cola will today address New Zealand's obesity problem with a new campaign.

Jane Gibson is half the woman she used to be, and she couldn't be happier.

A World Health Organisation report lists New Zealand as the 12th fattest nation on earth out of 197 countries. Are we really porkers or the victims of a statistical beat-up?

Fried chicken giant KFC is the latest fast-food franchise eyeing up prime real estate on Queen St

Research says that drinking trim milk could be making people bigger, not smaller.

The low price of unhealthy deep-fried chicken has made it a mainstay of takeaway food in low-income Otara in South Auckland.

It may be cheap, but getting your parents to look after your children may be storing up trouble, Roger Dobson discovers.