A 20 per cent tax on sugary drinks could reduce obesity rates in the UK by five per cent by 2025 - equal to 3.7 million fewer obese people - according to a new report from Cancer Research UK and the UK Health Forum published on 19 February.
The report predicts the impact a 20 per cent sugary drinks tax could have on obesity if current trends continue. This stark number (3.7 million) is...
Physical inactivity may be associated with twice as many deaths as obesity, according to research.
The study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found that just a modest increase in physical activity, such as a brisk 20 minute walk, could have significant health benefits.
Researchers, from University of Cambridge, studied data from 334,000 European men and...
Scientists have found that a simple blood test, which can read DNA, could be used to predict obesity levels in children.
Researchers at the Universities of Southampton, Plymouth and Exeter used the test to assess the levels of epigenetic switches in the PGC1a gene – a gene that regulates fat storage in the body.
Epigenetic switches take place through a chemical change called...
Researchers from the University of Cambridge have discovered a novel genetic cause of severe obesity which, although relatively rare, demonstrates for the first time that genes can reduce basal metabolic rate - how the body burns calories.
Previous studies (performed by David Powell and colleagues at Lexicon Pharmaceuticals in Texas) demonstrated that when the gene KSR2 (Kinase...
Report on children’s health makes strong case for change as data shows five excess child deaths per day in UK compared to Sweden
Billions could be saved by investing in young people
Much more needs to be done to improve UK children’s health, and acting early will save taxpayers’ money, the Chief Medical Officer has said in a frank assessment of the state of the...
