Shedding extra flab may be in vogue, but most of the health conscious people are not aware that excess fat around the waistline may facilitate long-term diseases, according to a recent survey.

The number of smokers in Australia has dropped over the past 20 years, while the rate of obesity has almost tripled, a new report has revealed. Australia is among world leaders in reduced tobacco consumption, cutting the percentage of adults who smoke daily from 35 per cent in 1983 to 17 per cent in 2007.

Here's another reason why you should shed the flab -- excess weight can hamper your bedroom life, for a study has found that obese people have less sex.

It's low self-esteem that makes you fat rather than your fat lowering your self-esteem, says a new study. Researchers in Britain have found that children with self-esteem problems are more likely to be obese as adults -- they have based their findings on an analysis of British Birth Cohort Study in 1970.

A new study has found that obese children, especially girls, show signs of the negative consequences of being overweight as early as kindergarten.