Fox Lashes Health Pick as as 'Too Fat to Serve'

(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»

No: Benjamin can inspire those of above-average weight

(NEWSER) - Regina Benjamin is supremely qualified to be surgeon general—except on one count, argue some: “The anti-fat brigade wonder if a country plagued by obesity should have an above average-weight woman speaking to public health,” writes Frances Kissling in Salon. Yes, we should, Kissling says. Countless Americans are trying to gain dignity and lose weight, and “having a confident, big-bodied and big-spirited woman” as surgeon general can inspire them. More»

Only 13% recognize when their child is obese

(NEWSER) - Nearly half the parents of severely overweight children ages 6 to 11 said their child was “about the right weight,” and only 13% recognized that their child had a severe problem, says a University of Michigan study. The results indicate parents think children will “grow out” of obesity or that something will change as they age, reports the AP. More»

After 30 years on the rise, rates appear to be stabilizing

(NEWSER) - After rapidly rising for three decades, obesity rates in the US are apparently stabilizing—finally, the Los Angeles Times reports. New data shows just a slight rise in obesity rates since 2005, and many experts say this flattening reflects the success of efforts such as healthier school lunches and nutritional information on food packages. Of course, as one nutrition expert notes, "The bad news is we still have obesity rates that are just astronomical." Specifically, 35.7% of American adults were considered obese in 2010. More»

...they want to keep their hair nice

(NEWSER) - In a move that some are calling bizarre, the surgeon general has set her sights on ... women's hair. While visiting a hair trade show this month, Dr. Regina Benjamin spoke about what Anahad O'Connor, writing for the New York Times , calls "something of a pet cause": Her belief that women aren't exercising because the don't want to mess up their hair. "Oftentimes you get women saying, 'I can’t exercise today because I don’t want to sweat my hair back or get my hair wet,'" she explained, pointing to women's concerns, in particular those of black women, that the time and money spent treating their hair will go to waste. More»