Obese patients ‘encouraged to put on weight to qualify for surgery’

Access to NHS weight-loss operations is inconsistent, unethical and a postcode lottery, says Royal College of Surgeons

Rules made to be broken

Andrew Martin: The figures show that a huge majority don't hit healthy targets. Can't we all just lower our sights?

Obesity is rife among students in the US. What can universities do to stop it happening in the UK?

Committee says recommended adult daily calorie intake could be increased by 16%, or up to 400 calories a day

Marianne Kirby: Want to know what it's like to be fat? It means facing a constant barrage of humiliation from people who feel entitled to comment

Neville Rigby: Public health campaigns make a fetish of BMI – body mass index. In reality, it's a fat lot of good compared to a tape measure

A mother-of-three and a teenager talk about their experiences of obesity

Neville Rigby: The health department thinks Homer and family can promote healthier lifestyles. D'oh! Or should that be DoH?

Peter Preston: Calls for a ban on alcohol advertising are wide of the mark. We need more education and persuasion

Billboard linking meat-eating with man boobs is put up in Glasgow by campaign group