It’s not Britain’s addiction to junk food that is chiefly to blame for our obesity crisis, but our love affair with the car, a report will claim this week.

Researchers have found that when households take possession of a car the time they spend walking falls from an average of nearly two hours to less than one hour a week.

Experts are still arguing over what is generating Britain’s growing obesity crisis - more food or less exercise? Read more »

Tiger Woods won his 13th major title of his career at Southern Hills Country Club and put his victory down to his improved fitness levels.

On a day when the temperature reached a tournament-high of 102 degrees, Woods strode down the middle of each sun-drenched fairway as playing partner Stephen Ames sought shade between shots. Ames finish tied for 12th after a 6-over-par 76.

Ernie Els and Woody Austin had a rare chance to catch Woods when they got to within one shot. Neither player was able to reel in the world’s best golfer as he held on to win his 13th major title and fourth PGA Championship with an 8-under-par 272 total. Read more »

Americans are living longer than ever, but not as long as people in 41 other countries.

For decades, the United States has been slipping in international rankings of life expectancy, as other countries improve health care, nutrition and lifestyles.

Countries that surpass the U.S. include Japan and most of Europe, as well as Jordan, Guam and the Cayman Islands. Read more »

adidas has launched a new running shoe with ‘bounce’ technology which channels all your energy into propelling you forward, into your stride.

The sleek new Bounce^TM shoe is perfect for gaining the edge on your competitors whether on the running field or on the high street.

Bounce^TM ‘structures’ under the heel of the shoe provide a rebound effect on impact and springboard you forward.

To highlight the shoe’s advanced technology, these ‘structures’ are visible for the first time through a transparent heel panel and are developed to create a lighter weight shoe and help cushion your step.

From the striking blue colour pallet to the unique Bounce^TM structures in the heel, this shoe is perfect for the person who wants a head start on the field and the street.

Footwear sizes range from 6-12 and are priced at £65.

Use of medicines to prevent disease may not prolong or improve life in elderly people, say doctors.

Drugs such as statins, prescribed to combat heart disease, may simply switch the cause of death to cancer or dementia in older people, they warn.

Writing in the British Medical Journal they said fear of discrimination meant doctors were offering preventive treatment regardless of age.

Experts agreed more evidence on such treatments in the elderly was needed.

Statins are the mainstay of the government’s goal to cut rates of heart disease by 40% by 2010. Click here for full article

A rapid rise in potentially avoidable cancers linked to “lifestyle factors” such as alcohol, smoking, obesity and exposure to the sun, has been detected by researchers.

A new study, published today by Cancer Research UK, shows that rates of melanoma, the most dangerous form of skin cancer, have risen by more than 40% in the past decade. Cases of mouth, womb, and kidney cancers have also increased rapidly in the past 10 years. Research has shown that around half of all cases of cancer diagnosed in the UK could be prevented by simple changes in lifestyle.

Lucy Morrish, statistical information manager at Cancer Research UK, who compiled the figures, said: “While incidence rates for some cancers have fallen over the past decade, others are rising and many of these cases could be prevented if people avoided excessive sun exposure, smoking and obesity and limited their alcohol intake.” Click here for full article

6’4” Freddie is a hard hitting, fast bowling, larger than life character who has developed into the favourite amongst fans – the one they all come out of the bars to watch!

Although Freddie has suffered through injuries, he has recently emerged fitter than ever and looks ready to establish himself amongst the all-time greats. To ensure that he maintains his high level of fitness, Freddie will be working out regularly on his newly installed Johnson fitness equipment.

To maintain his peak fitness level - which enabled him to work up a 90mph pace with the ball - Johnson Read more »

Adults who had so-called metabolic syndrome when they were children have a substantially increased risk of having heart disease in their 30s, researchers report.

The metabolic syndrome is a cluster of risk factors — such as high blood pressure, obesity and high blood sugar levels — that together increase the likelihood of developing heart problems or diabetes.

Individual components of metabolic syndrome are known to track from childhood into adulthood, but the association between metabolic syndrome in childhood and cardiovascular risk later in life has not been established, Dr. John A. Morrison and his associates explain in the medical journal Pediatrics.

The researchers analyzed data, collected between 1973 and 1976, on levels of blood glucose, triglycerides, “good” cholesterol, body weight, and blood pressure in 771 children aged 5 to 19 years. Click here for full article

Children as young as eight should be given the cholesterol-lowering drugs statins to reduce their risk of heart disease, say doctors.

A week after the Government’s heart adviser caused controversy by suggesting every man over 50 and every woman over 60 should take a daily statin, researchers in the Netherlands recommend that the medication should be offered to children at high risk.

But unlike Professor Roger Boyle, who argued that a blanket approach to treatment of heart disease in middle age would be the most effective strategy, the Dutch researchers do not suggest handing out statins so freely.

They recommend the treatment only for those children with a genetic condition called familial hypercholesterolemia (FH), which causes very high levels of low density lipoprotein cholesterol, commonly called “bad” cholesterol, from birth onwards. Click here for full article

It has thousands of devotees, but can cider vinegar really cure arthritis?

Sarah Gall, a church organist from Rochdale, Lancashire, believes that she has been cured of arthritis in her spine by following a diet that included apple cider vinegar and honey.

The use of cider vinegar follows in a long tradition: people have been using natural cider vinegar as a medicine for centuries.

As far back as 3,000 BC, Egyptians were using it for health benefits including weight loss. Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, was said to have used cider vinegar for its healing qualities.

While doctors remain sceptical, many sufferers have embraced it, including the explorer and adventurer Sir Ranulph Fiennes. Click here for full article