Nicola Sturgeon has been appointed to an international task force which will seek to combat chronic diseases.

The panel has been set up by former mayor of New York and billionaire business man Michael Bloomberg.

The First Minister will be joined on the body by the people such as the president of Uruguay, Tabaré Vázquez, and the former prime minister of New Zealand, Helen Clark.

Chronic or non-communicable diseases are the leading cause of death in the world, with 40m people dying globally from them each year.

The new committee will seek to find ways to use taxation and fiscal policies to combat the diseases.

Speaking after her appointment, Sturgeon said: "I welcome the establishment of this task force, which will look at potential solutions to the growing issue of non-communicable diseases around the world.

"The Scottish Government has worked tirelessly to develop and implement bold and innovative policies to address public health challenges, including the negative effects of tobacco, excess alcohol consumption and obesity.

"Our commitment to minimum unit pricing is just one example of the action we are taking to improve the health of our population, and to make it easier for people to make healthier choices.

"We are also currently consulting on a new obesity strategy, which includes proposals to restrict promotions of unhealthy food and drink."

Mr Bloomberg said: "There's substantial evidence that taxes and fiscal policies are essential to confronting this health threat.

"This task force will explore which policies can make the biggest difference and help them spread, saving millions of lives."