Oz Tops US As World's Fattest

(NEWSER) - Subtle hints from the media about America’s growing obesity problem—shots of pudgy citizens, from the head down—just aren’t cutting it, Time reports. Enter “This is why you’re fat,” a website that displays in shocking detail the indulgent worst of American eating. An Oreo with 2 feet of creamy filling, anyone? How about the Turbaconucken—a chicken inside a duck inside a turkey inside…bacon? To check out the dietary carnage, click the link at left. More»

New research is focusing less on the bathroom scale

(NEWSER) - Those carrying 10 to 15 extra pounds might be able to stop feeling guilty about the bathroom scale. A spate of studies show a little extra weight isn't such a bad thing, the Wall Street Journal concludes. In fact, it might even ward off diseases such as osteoporosis and help people look younger by, in the words of a dermatologist, "adding volume" to the face. More»

Corzine spot says Christie 'threw his weight around'

(NEWSER) - Jon Corzine, the New Jersey governor locked in an ugly race for reelection, is calling his opponent a big fat liar—with the emphasis on "fat." A new attack ad shows hefty Republican challenger Chris Christie in super-slow motion, his flesh jiggling in multiple directions, while an announcer says he "threw his weight around" to avoid traffic tickets. "I think it’s silly and stupid," Christie tells the New York Times, while Corzine demurs, "Seems to be some sensitivity going on here." More»

(NEWSER) - Overweight kids eat more when they eat with their overweight friends, Newsweek reports. A new study tested a child's consumption of healthy snacks and junk food while in the company of a friend or stranger who was either fat or lean. Overweight kids eating with a chubby buddy ate more unhealthy calories than any other pairing. More»

New fleet of books tries to explain American obesity

(NEWSER) - As the waistlines of Americans continue to expand, so is the genre of literature seeking to explain why, Elizabeth Kolbert writes in the New Yorker, profiling no fewer than seven books on the subject—including one that endorses “fat power.” The Fat Studies Reader argues that the real problem isn’t obesity, but societal hysteria founded by a deep-seated contempt for the corpulent. More»