He says even if people have a healthy body weight, sitting for long periods of time still has an unhealthy influence on blood sugar and blood fats.

VOA: special.2010.01.13

The weight gain sparked concern among researchers who said further studies are needed to gauge the long term effects.

VOA: standard.2010.07.08

There is also the long-time rivalry with Saudi Arabia, whose petro dollars continue to carry weight.

VOA: standard.2009.11.03

The banking sector -- long the biggest weight around Spain's neck -- is being restructured and recapitalised.

CNN: Spain escapes aid but doubts remain

The measuring sticks for the rankings are nutrition, daily calories, drop-out rates and both short- and long-term weight loss scores from published clinical studies.

FORBES: The Best Diet Plans Out There, Whoever You Are

On Thursday, the Public Citizen Health Research Group petitioned the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to ban the only approved long-term weight-loss drug, orlistat.

CNN: Why isn't there a safe weight-loss pill?