ISLAMABAD: The nutritional make up of fast food encourages people to gorge on it unintentionally, increasing their risk of obesity, research suggests.

Experts at the Medical Research Council found most fast food is very dense in calories - you only need a small amount to bump up your calorific intake.

They found that these "energy dense" foods can fool people into consuming more calories than the body needs. The research is published in the journal Obesity Reviews.

A typical fast food meal has a very high energy density. It is more than one and a half times higher than an average traditional British meal and two and a half times higher than a traditional African meal.

The researchers concluded that a diet high in fast foods will increase a persons risk of weight gain and obesity - even though they may feel that they are eating no more than they would if they ate an average meal.

Nibbles: FDA delays decision on diet drug, again

Sanofi-Aventis, the French manufacturer of the diet drug rimonabant, says the Food and Drug Administration has once again delayed any decision on whether to make the drug available in the United States. The drug, also know as Accomplia, has been on sale in Europe since last summer. It's thought that the government might be worried about possible side effects of the drug, which can include depression, but the FDA gave no word on why it was delaying the decision. The decision had already been delayed in the fall; the new action date on the drug is expected to be in July…

The makers of the green-tea infused energy drink Enviga stand by the claim that the drink burns calories, even though the only study of the drink used lean participants. After three days of drinking Enviga, participants burned an extra 106 calories, about the equivalent of two Oreo cookies.

Gadgets to weigh in on exercise

Like the Garmin and similar products, what look at first glance like a simple sports watch — connected wirelessly to sensors on a chest strap — can do more than pick up a runner's pulse and beep when she hits the heart rate target zone for her age and weight. It can also pick up satellite information to orient her on an unfamiliar trail and tell her how far she's gone.

And what looks like a stylish running shoe holds an insole pocket for a sensor that can transmit to an MP3 player the distance, time and pace achieved and the number of calories burned during a workout.

As if that's not enough, the data from both the watch and the MP3 player can be downloaded to a computer and the Internet, where it's possible to track fitness progress and even "compete" on a team or against other individuals logged on to the same site.