This paper looks at how the strategies of media and cultural studies can be applied to the health studies field. This relationship, however, has been met with resistance due to a number of status debates. We argue the importance of fostering links between these 'disciplines' namely because the definition of what constitutes 'health' has been broadened and is inscribed in most forms of popular media. Using the example of the 'health and lifestyle' debate, we argue that the media informs cultural understandings about requirements for living and is therefore a crucial area of analysis for health studies (and cultural/media studies) students. We are also concerned with analysing how the media contributes to the construction and regulation of 'healthy' subjects making links with public health discourses and current debates in the field of media and health.