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Apple CEO Steve Jobs, one of the most influential people in the technology world, has moved to quell persistent speculation about his health by issuing a statement explaining why he's lost so much weight.
Apparently it's due to a hormone imbalance that's leading to a deficiency of proteins. Jobs says he's now on a course of treatment and expects to start putting on weight again. Jobs was treated for a tumour on his pancreas.
Apple is possibly more dependent on its CEO than any other major company. He was brought back to the company he founded in the late 90s and was central to a revival of its fortunes. For this reason the health of Apple on the whole is intimately linked with Jobs' own health.
The latest round of speculation was prompted by the news that Jobs won't be delivering the Apple keynote at tradeshow Macworld Expo. However, last year financial news site Bloomberg accidentally published an obituary of Steve Jobs.
"Unfortunately, my decision to have Phil deliver the Macworld keynote set off another flurry of rumours about my health, with some even publishing stories of me on my deathbed," said Jobs in his statement.
Apple's shares are currently three percent up on the news.
