Malaysia faces an epidemic of weight-related illnesses within the next decade, Health Minister Chua Soi Lek has warned, blaming the country's rising obesity levels on western fast food and sedentary lifestyles. Chua told an obesity conference in Kuala Lumpur that adult obesity levels have nearly tripled in less than 10 years to 12.2 per cent of the population in 2003, from 4.4 per cent in 1996, AFP reports. He's proposed a ban on fast-food advertising, saying it's the only industry that 'advertises aggressively' and targets children.

Med diet easy on the wheeze

A so-called Mediterranean diet rich in fruits, vegetables and olive oil may help reduce childhood respiratory allergies and asthma, a British-Greek study of almost 700 children living on Crete has found. Those who ate the most fresh fruits and nuts were least likely to suffer from breathing allergies, Reuters reports, whereas those who ate the most margarine were most likely to have problems. Different diets appeared to have no effect on skin allergies, but those who ate a lot of grapes, nuts, oranges, apples and fresh tomatoes were much less likely to have wheezing or runny noses.

Geriatrics limber up on the move

Elderly women who exercise regularly are less likely to develop stiff, aching joints that can lead to debilitating arthritis - one of the most common chronic conditions in developed countries. The University of Queensland study of more than 8,700 women concluded that even as little as 75 minutes exercise a week can make a difference over the next three years, AP reports. 'Just adding some walking and moderate activity can have a big benefit,' says team leader Kristiann Heesch. However, middle-aged women appear to get no benefit. The researchers aren't sure if the boost for older women is due to more flexible joints, stronger muscles or reduced weight.

Foods turn smokers off cigarettes

More vegetables, milk and less meat, rather than upping coffee intake, may help smokers quit because fruits, vegetables and dairy foods make cigarettes taste terrible, a Duke University study has found. By contrast, meat, coffee and alcohol make smoking taste better. 'We were surprised that smokers would say anything would make their cigarettes taste worse,' says team leader Joseph McClernon. The researchers aren't sure why some foods affect the taste so markedly, WebMD reports. 'The conventional wisdom is that cigarette addiction is all about the nicotine. But we're learning it's also about sensory effects like taste and smell,' McClernon says.

Trigger-happy disease the real McCoy

One of the most infamous feuds of the American wild West - between the Hatfields and the McCoys - may have been due in part to a rare, inherited disease that can lead to hair-trigger rage and violent outbursts. A Vanderbilt University study has found that dozens of McCoy descendants have the disease, which causes high blood pressure, a racing heart, severe headaches and too much adrenaline and other fight-or-flight stress hormones, AP reports. The condition, Von Hippel-Lindau disease, 'can certainly make anybody short-tempered', says endocrinologist Revi Mathew. The feud that continued through generations of the two Appalachian families, dating from the civil war, is the subject of dozens of books and songs.

Jason Sankey is a tennis professional