GPs need to broach obesity during consultations with patients who come to them with other ailments, according to Dr Eva Orsmond.

A star of the hit RTE weight-loss show Operation Transformation and proprietor of Orsmond Clinics, she said she found it amazing that more GPs did not tell parents their children were too heavy. “It does not matter if they go to you, the GP, with an ear infection. Would you not feel that clearly the child is obese and comment on it? [GPs] are the only people who can do it.?

Niamh Mullen takes a close look at the growing area of bariatric surgery in Ireland, where it is carried out, how many people are now opting for it and how much the procedures cost.

A public obesity clinic offering weight-loss surgeries is due to open in Cork next year in a collaboration between Cork University Hospital and the Mercy University Hospital.
It is also hoped another public obesity clinic will open on the western side of Dublin on the Tallaght/Connolly Hospital axis at a later date, which would bring to four the number in the country.

Obesity is a serious health problem that destroys the quality of life for those suffering from its resulting serious yet predictable illnesses. It also carries a high cost for care which drains funds from the state's coffers.

A study released yesterday by the Center for Public Health Advocacy reports that it costs California $42 billion a year in medical care expenditures for illnesses and reduced labor productivity as a consequence of the diseases stemming from obesity.

Elderly people who constantly doze off without planning to, or who have trouble staying awake during the day, have more than four times the normal risk of having a stroke, and also have a higher risk to have heart attacks and other cardiovascular problems.

Research at South Dakota State University suggests that a child with lean muscle builds bigger bones than a child who weighs the same but has a greater percentage of fat.

Researchers collected measurements over a three-year period of 350 Hutterite children ages 8 to 18.

It's part of a larger Rural Bone Health Study tracking 1,700 people to evaluate how lifestyle affects bone density. Smaller bones are weaker than larger bones.

The pantry in Angela Bevan's home looks a lot different than it did 18 months ago.

Instead of licorice, chips and marshmallow bags, there is everything whole-wheat:bread, crackers and pasta included, all except Kraft Dinner, the family's one white vice.