Website Knows Why You're Fat

26% of Australians obese, to 25% of Americans; 9M of Aussies too heavy

(NEWSER) - Australia is the fattest nation in the world, the Age reports. A new study says body-mass index measurements pegs 4 million people—26% of the nation's population—as obese, narrowly beating the US, where 25% are obese. An additional 5 million Aussies are classified as overweight—with the usual suspects of more fast food and less exercise behind the epidemic. 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»