'Being fat at four means a life of ill-health'

Children who are overweight at the age of four face a lifetime of ill-health, according to a leading expert.

Cancer link to common heart drugs

A class of drugs commonly used to treat heart problems has been linked with a "modestly" increased risk of cancer.

Egypt bans smoking in Alexandria

Egypt, the biggest Arab consumer of cigarettes, is beginning an attempt to ban smoking in public places. Alexandria is to be Egypt's first no smoking city, beginning with a ban...

Smallpox demise linked to spread of HIV infection

The worldwide eradication of smallpox may, inadvertently, have helped spread HIV infection, scientists believe. Experts say the vaccine used to wipe out smallpox offered some protection against the

Study: Breast-feeding would save lives, money

The lives of nearly 900 babies would be saved each year, along with billions of dollars, if 90 percent of U.S. women fed their babies breast milk only for the...

Sex infection gonorrhoea 'becoming drug-resistant'

The growing resistance of antibiotics threatens to make gonorrhoea extremely difficult to treat, a Health Protection Agency official has warned.

HIV patients 'need drug lifeline'

The opportunity to save tens of thousands of HIV patients with a simple, cheap, drug treatment is being missed, say researchers.

Junk Food 'Addiction' May Be Real

Obese people often say they'd like to eat less but feel almost powerless to stop indulging, and now new research suggests that explanation might be all too true.

Why do some people never seem to get fat?

The UK is a country obsessed by the threat of obesity. As the average person's weight has grown, so has coverage of the subject.

DNA test 'could predict most effective diet'

A simple DNA test may predict whether someone is more likely to lose weight on a low fat or a low carbohydrate diet, say US researchers.