http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Healthy-snacks-contain-stealthy-fat/2007/01/22/1169330793711.html

Several of Australia's favourite food brands have been "outed" by the independent consumer watchdog for making children fat.

Despite often being enticingly tagged as "all natural", "low GI", and "real fruit", a single serving of some of the snack foods analysed by Choice, pack as much of a kilojoule punch as a Big Mac and a middy of beer.

Nestle's Milo cereal, which trumpets its energy-building qualities, contains as much sugar and even more fat than the much maligned Kellogg's Coco Pops.

A single 27-gram Arnott's Tiny Teddy biscuit had the dubious honour of packing the most kilojoules into the least amount of food.

Ribena, promoted as a healthy children's drink, contains only five per cent blackcurrant - the rest is sugar and water.

Go Natural's berry pieces in yoghurt could be found in the health food section of a major supermarket but is laden with trans fatty acids.

Nestle spokesman Peter Kelly said Choice was confusing consumers and making an unhelpful contribution to the healthy diet debate.

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Young and old failing health guidelines

http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Young-and-old-failing-health-guidelines/2007/08/31/1188067286232.html

Australians young and old are failing to meet national guidelines for exercise and nutrition, according to two major surveys of more than 30,000 people.

The studies released have painted a grim picture of a slothful, unhealthy nation of people eating poorly and exercising inadequately.

One of the surveys, of 16,000 adult Australians, showed one in four - 25 per cent - meet physical activity guidelines, while 55 per cent eat enough fruit and 15 per cent eat enough vegetables.

But an alarmingly small number - fewer than five per cent - met the criteria for all three guidelines, a statistic the University of Sydney and Deakin University researchers say is "extremely concerning".

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Negative body image affects all

http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Negative-body-image-affects-all/2007/08/31/1188067284943.html

It has long been assumed that only women fret about body image.

Not so, says psychologist Dr Vivien Lewis.

Men are just as likely to experience negative body image.

The big difference is they are much less likely to seek help.

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Smokers, obese miss out on surgery

http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Smokers-obese-miss-out-on-surgery/2007/09/09/1189276515786.html

Smokers and obese patients are being rejected for elective surgery in Victoria.

News Limited newspapers report that surgeons are turning away patients because of high odds of poor surgical outcomes linked to smoking and obesity, and to save money.

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I'd like to see the proof they mentioned:

Companies accused of junk food trickery

http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Companies-accused-of-junk-food-trickery/2007/09/14/1189276908009.html

Australia's leading junk food manufacturers have been lambasted for their "trickery" and aggressive marketing to children in a new report calling for an overhaul of advertising regulations.

An independent review commissioned by The Cancer Council Australia has uncovered what researchers describe as extensive promotion of unhealthy products directly to kids and manipulative methods to link them with health and fitness.

The report analyses the public policy statements of eight of the nation's largest food companies.

It found that many pledge, but fail, to deliver on their commitment to responsible marketing to children.

"Our findings suggest that, despite these policies, most of the products promoted to children - and recalled by children - were those high in sugar, fat and salt," said lead author Professor Sandra Jones, from the University of Wollongong.

The Cancer Council is now calling for regulation of junk food marketing to children to try and stem an expected surge in obesity-related cancers.

However, manufacturers say food advertising has been proven to have little bearing on obesity and say the report is designed to influence the results of the current Australian Communication and Media Authority review into food advertising.

Kellogg's, Nestle and Uncle Toby's were found to link their products to sports events and athletes to "imply that consumption increases energy levels and physical performance".

"And where advertising is apparently targeted at parents, the emphasis is often on an association with health and fitness, even though in most cases the products are high in sugar, saturated fats and salt."

http://www.choice.com.au/viewArticle.aspx?id=105736&catId=100563&tid=100008&p=1&...

There are many myths about exercise — fictions which are endlessly perpetuated and validated through sheer repetition. And it’s not just the internet and other media. Even fitness professionals get it wrong sometimes.

Many of the misconceptions about exercise relate to whether it burns fat and calories, and how much. This leads some people to eat more than they should, relative to the amount of total activity they do each day, which in turn causes them to gain weight (or not lose as much as they’d like).

In this report we take a look at the 10 most common exercise myths, and give you the real facts.

"Exercising three times a week is enough."
"Walking burns 300 calories an hour, so if I walk for an hour I’ll burn off the 300 calorie chocolate bar I ate."
"No pain, no gain."
"Low-intensity exercise burns more fat."
"Walking one kilometre burns the same calories as running one kilometre.
"Swimming isn’t a good way to lose weight."
"Your metabolism increases after exercise, so you burn more calories even though you’ve stopped exercising."
"You burn more fat if you exercise on an empty stomach."
"You should stretch before exercising."
"I’m slim and healthy, I don’t need to exercise."

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Teens who eat breakfast weigh less, US study shows

http://news.smh.com.au/teens-who-eat-breakfast-weigh-less-us-study-shows/20080304-1wtb.html

Teenagers who eat breakfast consume more daily calories but weigh less than those who skip the first meal of the day, a study released Monday in the United States showed.

"This study clearly supports what other studies have shown: kids who skip breakfast tend to gain more weight, and therefore would be at a higher risk for obesity," said Dr Mark Pereira of the University of Minnesota's department of epidemiology and community health, which conducted the study.

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Australian scientists report weight loss breakthrough

http://news.smh.com.au/australian-scientists-report-weight-loss-breakthrough/20080429-297g.html

Australian scientists may have discovered how to help people lose weight without cutting back on food, a breakthrough that could pave the way for fat-burning drugs.

Researchers in Melbourne found that by manipulating fat cells in mice they were able to speed up the animals' metabolisms.

They found that when a particular enzyme, known as angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE), was removed, mice were able to eat the same amount as other mice but burn more calories and therefore gain less weight.