Brazil launched a campaign Tuesday to combat the ballooning waistlines of its population -- a trend it said costs nearly $250 million each year in treatment of obesity-related diseases.

One in three seniors in the United States dies from Alzheimer's disease or another form of dementia, according to a report published by the Alzheimer's Association on Tuesday.

French international defender Eric Abidal, who underwent a liver transplant last April, is on his way back and played in a training match for Barcelona reserves against French second division side Istres, his club said Tuesday.

The United Nations has expressed concern that the Philippines could encourage smoking by hosting one of the world's biggest tobacco trade shows, a health official said Tuesday.

The Philippines' highest court suspended on Tuesday a controversial birth control law that had met fierce opposition from the powerful Catholic Church.

A man who led a playboy lifestyle while claiming to be a Tahitian prince was jailed Tuesday for 14 years for stealing Aus$16 million (US$16.6 million) from an Australian health department.

Taking vitamin D supplements in pregnancy seems to make no difference to a child's bone health, in contrast to guidelines in some countries, research published in The Lancet on Tuesday says.

Giving your toddler skimmed or semi-skimmed milk is unlikely to make inroads against the risk of obesity, a large study conducted among American children has found.

A trend for shaving, clipping or waxing pubic hair may encourage the spread of a skin virus, French doctors suggested on Monday.

Troubled US actress Lindsay Lohan was sentenced Monday to 90 days in a locked rehab facility, as part of a plea deal announced as her trial for allegedly lying to police was set to begin.

Eight European Union countries exceeded the bloc's air pollution limits in 2011, down from 12 the previous year, the European Environment Agency said in a report published on Monday.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg unveiled legislation Monday to force shopkeepers to cover cigarettes with a curtain or use some other method to keep tobacco out of view.

Any athlete suspected of getting a concussion during sports should stop play, leave the game and not return until cleared by a licensed healthcare professional, according to new US guidelines out Monday.

The global fight against tuberculosis needs a massive financial boost as drug-resistant strains of the disease take hold, two international organisations warned on Monday.

A growing number of US parents oppose doctors' recommendations to vaccinate teenage girls against human papillomavirus (HPV), the main cause of cervical cancer, a study said Monday.

Nicosia and international creditors were discussing Monday revisions to an unprecedented levy on bank accounts agreed in a bailout for Cyprus which has sparked market turmoil and fresh fears of debt crisis contagion, an EU source said.

The number of dead pigs found in a river running through Shanghai has reached more than 13,000, Chinese state media said, as mystery deepened over the hogs' precise origin.

Hundreds of Spanish doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers, many wearing white lab coats, marched in Madrid on Sunday against budget cuts and plans to partly privatise medical services.

Even as videogames come under scrutiny for potential harmful impacts, researchers and developers are touting digital games for positive effects on health, learning and other social goals.

The 27th edition of South by Southwest (SXSW) inched closer to its finale Saturday with a flock of big-name pop stars descending on the Texas state capital's pulsating beer-and-barbecue fest.