Kevin McLernon from Sunderland was crowned the winner of the television show The Biggest Loser after shifting an incredible 12 stone 12lbs. That's 40% of the body weight he had at the start of the series. He was delighted. "It was absolutely incredible - it's like following a dream in your head," he tolds BootsWebMD. "It was absolutely awesome - I couldn't be happier," he added.

As spring sunshine made a welcome appearance, Arthritis Research UK encouraged those at risk of vitamin D deficiency to get outside. Calcium and phosphorus are needed for bone health but in order to absorb these elements from the gut our bodies need vitamin D. Our main way to get this essential vitamin is through sunlight on our skin, which triggers a photochemical process that can synthesise the vitamin. This is why the charity encouraged us to get outside.

Many people think asthma could wreck an athlete's career - but 25% of the Team GB athletics squad in 2012 had the condition, according to Asthma UK. Before the Games, Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins told Asthma UK: "It's only a hindrance if you make it one - it does sound quite bad if you are diagnosed with asthma and your natural instinct is to think that's it. But there is better medicine available now and I am an Olympic champion - the evidence is out there that you can succeed."

It seems helping to manage blood pressure may be helped by eating and drinking some pleasant food and drink.

In January, Australian researchers found black tea drinkers’ systolic (the top number in blood pressure readings) and diastolic (the lower number) blood pressures were found to be two to three points (mmHg) lower than people who didn’t drink tea.

In August, a review of research was published into regularly consuming chocolate with high amounts of flavanols - a type of plant chemical – to see if it might also make a difference to blood pressure. Consuming flavanols did seem to result in a small but significant drop in blood pressure.

In September, a study of people drinking non-alcoholic red wine saw blood pressure decreased by about 6 mmHg in systolic blood pressure and 2 mmHg in diastolic blood pressure, but more research is needed.

In January, the Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Exeter reported that differences in blood pressure readings taken from the left and right arms could be a sign of vascular disease. Writing in the Lancet researchers suggested doctors should routinely compare readings from both arms to prevent unnecessary deaths.

A study by the Centre for Appearance Research at the University of the West of England in Bristol revealed that the majority of British men regularly talk about their body image - a trait historically regarded as a woman's health issue. Beer bellies were men's biggest body image concern.  The survey also found that men's dissatisfaction with their bodies had reached a level where more than a third would trade at least a year of their life if they could achieve their ideal body shape and weight.

Skinny jeans on men might, in some cases, be more than just painful to the eye - they could also have long term health consequences. One in seven British men are said to regularly wear skinny jeans and medical experts have warned the fashionable tight-fitting jeans, favoured by celebrities such as Russell Brand, Jude Law and Joey Essex, can increase the risk of urinary tract infections and in some cases, result in twisted testicles. It followed a survey of 2,000 men for TENA Men.

It was a big year for chocolate research. Dark chocolate turned out to be better than white chocolate at helping to improve cholesterol readings, according to San Diego State University in the US.

A Swedish study in the journal Neurology found men who eat a moderate amount of chocolate each week may be less likely to have a stroke, compared to men who don't eat any chocolate.

And according to researchers writing in the Archives of Internal Medicine, people who regularly eat chocolate have been found to have a lower body mass index (BMI) than those who eat it less often.

However, experts stressed a lot more research is needed and these results should not be used as an excuse for people to eat chocolate as an alternative to regular exercise or eating a healthy diet.

One in 10 British couples sleep in separate bedrooms in order to maintain a healthy relationship, a survey found in June. The poll carried out for the insurance firm esure also discovered that 7% of Brits spend more time with their pets than their partner. Crucially, the study found that nearly two fifths (39%) of us believe we have healthier relationships because we have greater independence.

In January, the British Heart Foundation (BHF) launched a campaign to promote hands-only cardio-pulmonary resuscitation  (CPR) in the hope it will give people the confidence and knowledge to help try and save a life. It produced a memorable TV ad featuring former footballer, now Hollywood hard man, Vinnie Jones, to show how simple hands-only CPR can be. And "Staying alive" is the way to give CPR to the Bee Gees beat.

Along with how much exercise you do, the foods you eat affect how healthy you are. Healthy eating was important, but not as important as exercise, including housework. But those who lived longest had both a healthy diet and regular exercise.