Obesity Epidemic

Guide Note

Public health officials have called the growing rate of obesity around the world an "obesity epidemic". They say it is a growing public health problem, linked to an increase in rates of diabetes, heart disease and decreased life expectancy.

Fast Facts

1. Overweight: 60% of Americans
2. Obese: 60 million Americans
3. $75 billion: Health care costs related to obesity epidemic
4. Second leading cause of preventable death in the U.S.

Obese people are more likely to have heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, trouble breathing, many forms of cancer and myriad other health issues. Often, these lead to early death. Even if treated, the ailments also reduce the quality of life in many sufferers. While modern medical technology can treat the sufferers of such diseases in order to keep them alive, many suffer long-term pain, illness and other long-term consequences.

Some researchers claim the "obesity epidemic" is a myth. The benchmarks for "overweight" and "obese" are very low, they say. In addition, it is based on Body Mass Index (BMI), which is based on total weight, not percentage of body fat. This categorizes fit people as dangerously unhealthy, for example categorizing George W. Bush as overweight and Arnold Schwarzenegger as obese. They also argue that obesity does not in itself cause heart disease or diabetes. The core issues, they say, are that Americans need to eat less fatty food and exercise more, stating that active obese people are in better health than skinny, sedentary people.