PARIS, July 6, 2008 (AFP) - British and French scientists have identified several variants of a single gene that boost the risk of obesity, according to a study published Sunday in the British journal Nature.

PARIS, July 6, 2008 (AFP) - British and French scientists have identified several variants of a single gene that boost the risk of obesity, according to a study published Sunday in the British journal Nature.

NEW YORK, July 1, 2008 (AFP) - Artificial trans fats will be off the menu in New York restaurants from Tuesday, as city authorities seek to remove a major cause of heart disease from their residents' diets.

The obesity rate among American children and teenagers may have stabilized after a dramatic rise in the 1980s and 1990s that has been described as an epidemic, according to a US study on Wednesday.

The study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), based on a national health survey, found no significant change in the obesity rate between 1999 and 2006.

GENEVA, May 21, 2008 (AFP) - Child obesity is ballooning into a big problem in China as 'little emperors' are increasingly getting an appetite for the Western couch-potato way of life, according to a study presented in Geneva.

GENEVA, May 15, 2008 (AFP) - A 'liquid lunch' could no longer mean a few pints down the pub, but instead a healthy way to lose weight, according to a study presented Thursday by scientists from food giant Unilever.

The scientists found that bulking up the volume of food with certain gases or water can make you feel fuller than otherwise, and reduces the amount you eat afterwards.

GENEVA, May 15, 2008 (AFP) - Childhood obesity may be levelling in France in contrast to the general trend in Europe where more youngsters are growing fat, according to two new studies presented Thursday.

GENEVA, May 14, 2008 (AFP) - Early exposure to chemicals used in the making of products such as baby bottles or plastic food wraps may lead to obesity, according to new research presented Wednesday.

PARIS, May 4, 2008 (AFP) - New investigations into obesity may identify people with an inherited risk of weight gain, explain why crash diets often fail and address a danger period in childhood that leads to obesity in adult life.

NEW YORK, April 29, 2008 (AFP) - An order requiring fast food restaurants in New York to publish the calorie content of their meals came into effect Tuesday after a court rejected their bid to suspend the anti-obesity measure.