Part of “CHAPTER 126 – OBESITY“

An expert panel assembled by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) stated, “An estimated 97 million adults in the United States are overweight or obese, a condition that substantially raises their risk of morbidity from hypertension, dyslipidemia, type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, gallbladder disease, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea and respiratory problems, and endometrial, breast, prostate, and colon cancers. Higher body weights are also associated with increases in all-cause mortality. Obese individuals may also experience social stigmatization and discrimination. As the second leading cause of preventable death in the United States today, overweight and obesity pose a major public health challenge.”2 This high prevalence of obesity was affirmed at an NIH-sponsored Technology Assessment Conference, at which conferees noted, “33% to 40% of adult women and 20% to 24% of men are currently trying to lose weight.”3