Yesterday, there was another national news report about someone having a heart attack while eating at the Heart Attack Grill and while I understand the juicy and ironic lure of the story, I have to ask, is the Heart Attack Grill really the problem? I’m quite certain heart attacks at restaurants aren’t unique to burger joints. I’m actually kind of fond of the Heart Attack Grill, because unlike virtually every other restaurant around, at least they’re up front about the risks of regularly visiting. Yet I’m guessing the calories in their flatliner fries and their triple...

Tasty treat, but hard to eat: Waitrose has launched a range of sandwiches wrapped in salad leaves rather than bread Whether it’s white or brown, wholemeal or sourdough, you can generally reckon that your supermarket sandwich will feature bread in some shape or form. Not any longer. Waitrose is selling breadless butties containing a mere 125 calories – ideal for those trying to cut the carbs as the bikini season approaches. Read more…

By Daily Mail Reporter Epidemic: The genetic breakthrough could help the 62 per cent of Britons who are overweight or obese The ‘master switch’ gene which causes obesity has been identified, scientists have claimed. The DNA is thought to be what controls other genes found in the body’s fat cells. Researchers said the breakthrough could help treat obesity-related diseases such as heart disease and diabetes. Scientists have already identified a gene called KLF14 as being linked to type 2 diabetes and cholesterol levels, but until now they didn’t know what role it played. The...

Qnexa, a combo of phentermine and topiramate, did come with side effects, however SUNDAY, April 10 (HealthDay News) — Obese patients taking a high dose of an investigational weight-loss pill called Qnexa lost an average of 22 pounds over a year, while also lowering their cholesterol and blood pressure numbers, a new study has found. Qnexa is a combination of two medications: phentermine, the most widely used weight-loss drug in the United States, currently available under a variety of brand names as well as a generic; and topiramate (Topamax), best known as a drug used to ease epilepsy and...

Is this the holy grail of weight loss? How a new 17-day diet promises a healthy quick fix for dropping drop pounds fast Dr Mike Moreno says that followers can expect to lose 10-12lb in the short time period – and that the impressive results are sustainable too… Losing a dress size in little over two weeks may sound too good to be true – but that’s exactly what Dr Mike Moreno is promising in his new book. The 17 Day Diet, which has been taking the U.S. by storm, promises weight-loss of 10 to 12lbs in just two to three weeks. Dr Moreno, who runs a family practice in San Diego,...

Scientists have developed a new way to measure whether a person is too fat without having people step on the scale. The new measure, called the Body Adiposity Index, or BAI, relies on height and hip measurements, and it is meant to offer a more flexible alternative to body mass index, or BMI, a ratio of height and weight, U.S. researchers said on Thursday. BMI has been used to measure body fat for the past 200 years, but it is not without flaws, Richard Bergman of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, and colleagues wrote in the journal Obesity. Read more…

Blair River, 6ft 8inches tall, spokesman for the Heart Attack Grill, died from what appeared to be a complication of flu – pneumonia. The 575-pound man’s job was to promote a restaurant unashamed of its high-calorie, unhealthy menu. At Chandler’s Heart Attack Grill, staff walk around in nurses uniforms and the owner, John Basso, has a doctor’s white coat – however, the menu is definitely not for those interested in good health or looking after their figure. The restaurant has meals in excess of 8,000 calories. An active 200lbs man who is 6ft 2ins tall does not require...

It is widely considered the curry capital of Britain. So perhaps it should come as no surprise that the West Midlands has been named as the fattest place in Europe. Almost a third of adults living in and around Birmingham are obese – twice as high as the EU average. A damning report has pinpointed Britain as the ‘fat man’ of Europe, with a higher proportion of dangerously overweight adults than anywhere else on the continent. The West Midlands has the highest levels of obesity in the EU at 29 per cent, closely followed by the North East at 28 per cent. Doctors admitted they were ‘appalled’...

More than half of adults in the European Union are overweight or obese, according to a new report. The European Commission and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development published the report, Health at a Glance: Europe 2010, on Tuesday. The rate of obesity has more than doubled over the past 20 years in most EU countries, which has important implications for health, health systems and the wider economy, the report’s authors said. Among adults, 50.1 per cent are now overweight or obese, based on the body mass index or BMI — a calculation based on a person’s weight-to-height...

By Jenny Hope A quarter of fat women think they don’t have a weight problem, according to a study. Young mothers are particularly at risk of obesity but failing to recognise they are still carrying the pounds they put on during pregnancy, say U.S. researchers. British experts said it was inevitable that as the population gets fatter, bigger people are seen as ‘normal’. However, this encourages denial of health-related problems caused by obesity such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease, they claim. More than 2,000 women aged 18 to 25 were asked questions about their weight and perceptions...