The food industry’s solution of more choice increases profits, but does nothing for obesity. The more on offer, the more we buy, the more we waist and the more we waste, writes Dr Rosemary Stanton.
Obesity 
Australia’s real body image problem: pretending we’re not fat
42% of all Australian women over 18 are overweight or obese; 4% are underweight. Before worrying about Photoshopped images of super-skinny models, there is — literally — a much bigger problem to tackle, says Virginia Haussegger.
The handy guide to dealing with consumer concern about sugar
A letter from US Big Sugar to its Australian counterpart on how to get around those pesky health warnings. The letter may or may not be fictional but witty satire.
The ultimate weight-loss reality show
We’ve had The Biggest Loser, Dance Your Ass Off and now the ultimate weight-loss reality program, brought to you by the home of fatness, the US of A: six people try to lose 50% of their body weight.
Why overweight kids are victims of child abuse
Being fat is one thing, says India Knight: feed your face as much as you want. But if you feed your kids so much, and so poorly, that they develop weight issues, expect them to be taken away from you.
The soft drink wars heat up
Discussion about the soft drink industry’s recent forays into public health is heating up, with PepsiCo, the Cancer Council, obesity experts and a host of others weighing-in.
Drinking with the enemy: the soft drink marketing wars
Soft drink giants Coca-Cola and PepsiCo are locked in a neck-and-neck battle to become new best friends of public health. It’s what you do when your industry is facing flak as an enemy of public health, writes Melissa Sweet.
Growing profit on the fat of the unfortunate
A new trial intending to fit 30 overweight indigenous Australians with lap-bands to lose weight is nothing more than a disingenuous attempt to open up a brand new government-funded gold mine for the surgery’s creator, Allergan.
Selling our kids to McDonald’s
McDonald’s has pulled off a huge marketing coups by signing up more than 230,000 NSW students to its maths tutoring program. Dr Rosemary Stanton, Jane Martin and Professor Elizabeth Waters weigh-in on whether the whole scheme undermines the government’s rhetoric on tackling childhood obesity.
Still sweet for sugar in fat, slumbering Australia
Big Sugar in the United States is spending vast streams of cash to defend sugary drinks in the debate around soft drink and obesity — but at least they’re having a debate.
It’s time to let the government into our pantries
The obesity epidemic is costing Australia $8.3 billion a year, and the death toll continues to rise. Self-regulation has failed, says Michael Smith: it’s time to embrace the nanny state.
Debunking the myth that fast food is cheaper
Much of the obesity epidemic is blamed on fast food being cheaper than home-made, but cook Sally Sampson blows this myth wide open, whipping up her own pizzas, Whoppers and Egg McMuffins for a fraction of the price — not to mention the calories.
Bill Maher: Fat people can’t complain about health care reform
Comedian Bill Maher proposes a new rule: you can’t complain about health care reform if you’re not willing to reform your own health. Teabaggers, he’s looking at you.
All this nagging, Nicola, isn’t making us thin
Health Minister Nicola Roxon thinks we’re too fat, smoke too much and drink too much. But don’t worry, she’s got a solution: she’s going to nag us to death instead. Even if research suggests it won’t work.
Riled by Kyle: fatties fight back
So Kyle Sandilands is overweight people and concentration camps. And Susie O’Brien is bagging larger models as bad role models. Folks, we’ve heard it all before, says fatty Bri King.
NYC goes hard on soft drinks
New York City’s health department has launched a new ad campaign warning New Yorkers from “pouring on the pounds” with sugary beverages, in an effort to tackle rising obesity rates. Predictably, the American Beverage Association is not a fan.
Health Taskforce wishes you all a long, dull life with nanny
People get fat because they eat too much and don’t exercise enough. Yesterday’s National Preventative Health Taskforce’s report was full of surprises, writes Tim Wilson.
Fat chance of diet regulation, but we’ll weight and see
Will the weight loss industry just standing there and take the imposition of professional standards, set by the Preventative Health Taskforcem without a fight? Not likely, writes David Gillespie.
Fast food fat tax
Will a planned US tax on fast food actually have an impact on obesity levels? Or will it just make food more expensive to those with little cash?
Tubby Tommys: British troops too fat to fight in Afghanistan
Time for more push-ups and less chocolate puds for Her Majesty’s finest: a leaked Defence memo has revealed that the British Army’s efforts in Afghanistan are being hampered by the number of soldiers who are too overweight to be deployed.
Tackling obesity with economics
Want to solve the obesity epidemic? Instead of relying on the notoriously unscientific diet industry, maybe it’s time to give economists a shot, says Andrew Leigh.
Time to treat Big Food like Big Tobacco?
Just as Big Tobacco swore that smoking doesn’t cause cancer, the food industry may never admit that its calorie-laden wares are making us fat; but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be held to account: it’s time to recast the industry as “obesity dealers”, says Ellen Goodman.
The neuroscience of McDonald’s
The most pleasurable thing about eating McDonald’s isn’t the dripping cheese, salty chips or even the discount ice-cream cone: it’s the calories. Jonah Lehrer explains why we’re just hard-wired that way.
Fox News say “fat chance” to Surgeon General nom
Fox News has run a segment asking whether new US Surgeon General nominee, Dr Regina Benjamin, is “too fat” for the role, including an interview with a guy in a “no chubbies” tshirt. All class.
