AFP - Physical exercise can reduce a genetic predisposition to obesity by an average of 40 percent, a new study showed.

Reuters - Teenagers who sleep less than eight hours a night on weeknights eat more fatty foods and snacks than those who get more than eight hours of sleep a night, U.S. researchers said on Wednesday.

AFP - Children under the age of five who don't get enough sleep at night are more likely than kids who do get their 40 winks to become obese at a young age, a study published Monday showed.

AFP - Michel Montignac, author of worldwide best-sellers on weight loss in the 1980s and 1990s, has died aged 66, French officials said Thursday.

Reuters - Use of weight-loss surgery has increased 10-fold in hospitals in England since 2000 and those who have gastric bands fitted can reduce their risk of early death and cut health service costs, scientists said on Friday.

AFP - British health campaigners warned Friday that surgery was being seen as an easy option to tackle obesity after new figures showed weight-loss operations have soared here in the past five years.