Guess this study hit a little close to home, eh?

These people are professional researchers with Doctorate degrees... so if anyone has a real job, they do.

What do you do for a living again??

Americans are not obese.

We put all of our excess energy into learning..../s

My apologies.

Most Americans hate learning....edumacation is too complicated and requires catastrophic amounts of effort.

Perhaps 'obese' people should pay double premiums for insurance. But of course, some 'politically correct' types would complain about penalizing 'weight challenged' people.

I happen to agree with angelosdaughter on this one. Geez.....let's just spend a few million more in government grants (tax money) and have a third study that says the first two were flawed and the costs are even higher....or lower...depending on which will get more grant money and federal funding. I'll lead that study.

Martina,

All the highly educated criminals make big money off of these studies (scams). They get a government grant to conduct these studies (scams).

It makes absolutely NO difference how much money it costs to treat a patient, fat, thin, tall, short, black, white, unless the insurance companie plan to use that information to discriminate against a certain group of people. And, since the entire insurance industry was started by gamblers, I'm sure that's exactly what they plan to do with the information! People PAY for their insurance..........it shouldn't matter one bit what statistics say about a certain group of people and the costs associated with their care is!

This kind of study should be illegal, and government grants for these nazi style experiments should be illegal!

P.S. Before some idiot comes back with some stupid remark...........I happen to be thin.

Cass Sunstein, the KING of Progressives.... doing his dirty work once again........

First and foremost, it is NOT the responsibility of Government to CONTROL the weight of its population.

Wage war on the clown fast food company (put another 1,000,000 out of work)

Government mandated school lunch menu's... Why not Government mandated Toilet paper?

Hide the Chocolate milk BEHIND the skim in the school lunch line (that'll work)...not!

How about placing fruit in pretty baskets? AWWWW Look at the fruit in the pretty basket. I want to eat it. (whaaaaaaa...?)

Take processed food AWAY from kids who bring it... (no way they'll start hiding it, some will become the next campus dope...er, ahhh... Hamburger w/ fries Dealers!) )

Make all deserts "Cash Only" menu items (Darn it... I only know how to use a debit card, what is cash?)

How about putting the salad bar next to checkout? That's after I got the cake and pie and everything else. And I'm like, yes, that would have been a good idea. Here, I'm having this!

Allow "Health Food Nazi's" to Declare "Food Deserts" in City communities. THEN letting them raise the tax rate in that particular area until it has a "Healthy" place to eat opened up there. (This is actually on the way folks!)

Why not just toss everyone who wants a Happy Meal in a GAS CHAMBER????

Once again, progressives know better than you & me. And you are now paying to have Cass Sunstein, a guy who not only me... but anyone with a half an idea who this guy is... say is the most dangerous man in America, because first, it's nudge, then it's shove, then it becomes shoot em dead.

You think they're going to stop at lunch? If they think we are incapable of feeding or raising our children properly, they will manipulate us into everything. They're doing it already in health care. Remember, you're too stupid to figure that out according to them....

What did Joe Biden say? They would like to go off and campaign on the things that they've done. It's just so complex. People won't understand it. I'm surprised we just don't have government drool cups strapped to our face.

Here is an idea..... You know...An "Idea", one of those things that the Government seems to want to take away our ability to have for ourselves...

* How about making your kid turn off the damn TV and go outside and play? You know? Play... Run, jump, chase each other around and toss a ball, ride a bike climb a tree?

* How about the same with the Stupid ass Video games...... You'll let the GOVERNMENT tell you how to feed your kid...rather then telling them to turn off the Video games and go play in the real world?.... It is parents LIKE YOU who are accelerating this crap!

There is a Book... you may or may not have read it.... one of the passages reads...

"Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it."

Progressives and the people who are propitiating its fundamental scheme are a scourge. They are creating Militant Environmentalists who place the lives of human beings at the bottom of the "Who cares about them" flow chart.

You turn your kids over to Cass Sunstien and the Progressives and what you will get back is a person who believes the end ALWAYS justifies the means... If that means people die so some plant may live... so be it. If that means people are led to believe they are worthless and EVERYTHING but them is what is important.

You end up with people who believe placing human life at enormous risk in order to advance a unsubstantiated theory is fine and well. You end up with MOBS of people who instead of hearing BOTH if not ALL sides of an argument...walk off their stage (The View Girls) stage or just point YOUR ship at theirs (Paul Watson) and hope for the best should your young and stupid crew end up in the frigid Antarctic waters without survival gear or training.

People who have absolutely NO PROBLEM with the idea of abortion as a form of one night stand birth control.... But stands behind the laws that allow some poor fool who breaks a bald eagle egg while flying a Kite to get thrown in jail for 1 year Minimum mandatory. These are Morons who place an EGG... over the life of a Human child.

If there is one TRUE scourge in America... It is the Progressive movement and what it is doing to the youth of our society who lack the fortitude to see the inherent hypocrisy and likelihood of "Massive Humanistic Thinking gone wrong".

This is the bright light in what could be a very dark and bleak future should we allow these lunatics and Nut cases to succeed.... There are More and More people who are using their public platform to expose the Progressives for who and what they REALLY are. Exposing the political Movement behind the environmental shell game. Exposing how they are hiding their anti-free market, Anti-Republic, anti-US, Anti-HUMAN philosophy behind the elitist "We know it all, save the planet movement"

Telling us it is ALL human impact creating the changes on Earth... Not mentioning the Thousands of underwater Volcanoes and hot water vents that spew trillions of tons of Methane, Sulfur, Sulfur dioxide, Hydrogen Sulfide...AND YES.......TON AND TONS of CO2 (you know, the stuff the Enviro-nuts say WE are killing the Earth with!) into the Sea (and from there to the atmosphere through evaporation and soil contamination on beaches) There are about 200 other gasses and solids that create more change in a month then we puny Humans are capable of doing in a decade. What do you think all that Black super heated material is that pours out of those deep water volcanoes? But don't ask Progressive Enviro-nut about that... Nope... He has YOU in HIS/HER Cross hairs... He has been brain washed by his masters.

Just because you cannot see them... does not mean they are not there and going to town every day all day.... Here is what some of that stuff is...

http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/hazards/gas/index.php

One thing the Progressives are NOT set up to deal with... after hiding most of their agendas in the shadows for over 100 years, they are not prepared to be exposed. They will not be able to lie it all away. There is way to much evidence of Hypocrisy and sick thinking on the table now. They have placed their hands WAY to deep into the political cookie jar. No more hiding behind every day Liberals and their Bullshiznit. No more hiding the educational take over they very successfully and quite masterfully managed over the years. There is now coming a time of deprogramming those who have been Tainted by the "CULT" of "Progressive Humanism".

As long as it is on the table... it can be fought against every day.

That's why they banned ephedra cause it worked. They don't want people to live past 60 and sure the hell won't let them have the same healthcare insurance they have enjoyed because they were lucky enough to know someone that got them a good job with benefits.

Derek-V,

Progressives are good people that are trying to do what is best for the U.S. and what is best for the planet and the environment. That would include vigorous opposition to human imperialism and its dangerous impacts on the environment. We oppose obesity and the damages that disease does to our nation; teaching children to eat healthier is not what the Nazis did, it is the right thing. True progressives value the life of humans and animals but we believe that humans are not superior to nature and humans should not be arrogant enough to think that they can live without it.

walk off their stage (The View Girls) stage or just point YOUR ship at theirs (Paul Watson) and hope for the best should your young and stupid crew end up in the frigid Antarctic waters without survival gear or training

I would walk off the stage too. It would be better then listening to someone express hate speech on national television. And Sea Shepard and their crew have devoted their lives to the cause; they are all willing to die to save endangered, rare and defenseless whales from certain death at the hands of merciless humans.

"17 percent of U.S. medical costs is due to obesity, new study says"

"... and the other 83 percent of US medical costs is due to taxpayers footing the bill for the 30 million + illegal aliens that don't pay for it, ongoing study says!"

I am so sick of seeing a new "news" article daily on Evil Obesity. Give it a rest already!

I'll tell you exactly why the medical costs are higher for "obese people" (who 20 yrs ago, some would not have been considered obese until there was that whole tinkering with the height/weight charts & the invention of the flawed BMI to put them there, just sayin').....the rates are higher because of all the unnecessary testing drs send fat ppl to have. Half of y'all poking fattie fun ought to learn what the diagnostic codes are (hello Mr Google) on your scrips & you'd probably be shocked to learn your dr thinks you're tubby, too. The minute one's weight edges out of "normal".....which for a 5'5" female of any age would be past 138 lbs which I really don't consider fat at all, do you?.....the drs start throwing scrips. They want you to go run on a treadmill like a hamster (a stress test costs way more than a plain old EKG) because those fat ppl are just heart attacks waiting to happen. They want you to give generously out of every orifice & thru a needle so that your piss, @!$%#, & blood can be exhaustively examined for every fat disease known to man & few that probably haven't been discovered yet. O my you're a disgusting pig at 150 lbs AND you freely admit you pee 6x a day? Well, you must surely be a diabetic! Whatever.

BTDT & I hope my old PCP wept in his nut flakes when everything came back A-OK perfectly normal & he didn't have a damn thing to justify spending my ins co $ & my co-pay $ except jeez, you're fat, you MUST be tested for this stuff b4 it gets outta control! Um yeah, I'm not REALLY fat, I just have big boobs, you moron LOL OK fine I coulda stood to drop a few & meh eventually I did, probably from running on that treadmill like a hamster (that's one hard test!). Bite me, I'm an old broad & I got this far without some idiot dr clanging an alarm & subjecting me to thousands in useless tests just because I curved out of chart slot & looked damn fine for an old broad doing it pffft. Old ppl should get separate charts, that menopause thing'll kill ya.

Which is another pt, how many baby boomers we got running around that have all bulged thru middle age? When we're all dead that obesity epidemic'll vanish. We're skewing your studies HA HA as there are so many of us. Y'all don't deserve govt grants if you can't figure out something that simple. Face it, 50+ women are not going be perfect little size 0s & we are Legion. Take the boomers out of the equation & chill on this whole obesity panic already, there isn't one.

I would, but I live next door to a psychopath who went off his meds & keeps bouncing off the walls (& I mean that literally), so alas, I cannot sleep, literally.

You could, however, go wash your brain some more, b/c you obvs didn't get the rest of my post. The problem is in the media & the wittle pinheads who let the talking heads do their thinking for them.

You've just lost any wee bit of credibility you may have thought you had w/ your egregious abuse of punctuation. Anyone who thinks adding more in enhances their pt, um, doesn't have one.

angelosdaughter got this one right...how stupid, these "studies", but even more stupid are any Americans who need a government-media-academe "nanny" to tell them whether they are maintaining a healthful weight or chunking on the pounds...don't department stores sell full-length mirrors anymore? can't people see for themselves? geez...
most stupid of all is a central government that is so impotent to solve any real NATIONAL problems (business-friendly policies to support JOB CREATION, for one obvious example, would be a good place to start) that it must "fight" the "evil" of food and drink...what a bunch of pansies...
Vote out incumbents in 2010 and 2012...and a pox on the nitwits who support them with their "studies"...

Derek-V., you're the reason why we need govt. intervention in our lives. I'm guessing you're an overweight, paranoid, undereducated bigot (with no health insurance) that has too much time on your hands. Your "mental health treatment" will probably be passed on to us "Progressives" in the way of higher premiums. Go back to watching Fox News and let the adults discuss ways of making this country better.

Hopefully the "adults" will make this country better, idioc, by voting OUT the incumbents in 2010 and 2012. When a country has spent more in the last twenty months (of the six-year Demo regressive reign, 2004 - 2010) than in two hundred YEARS prior, that speaks for itself. And worst of all, this mad spending in the last twenty months has nothing to show for it, except adding $15,000/ year ($1250/month) in current UDS to the tax bill for each American family of four, and that is annually and for the rest of all our lives. Young Americans don't even have a chance with the false hope and change they voted in in 2006 and 2008 to destroy their future prospects, and that is sad. Really sad. With such a dismal record no wonder the wash spin machine is trying to distract with a rump-rear-ended lady's anti-obesity campaign rather than her fat headed husband's spending bridge to nowhere except the poor house for Americans!
Vote out the incumbents in 2010. And 2012.

Everyone I know is FAT. My neighbors are fat my friends are fat the family down the street on welfare is all fat.

Let me give you a hint for why so many people in America are fat or obese

It is because your meat is full of growth hormones and antibiotics. Not only you are getting fat, but your body is becoming immune to antibiotics.

This is why the EU forbid hormones in our meat. Again, you are far behind on food quality, too

Your government know of the danger of hormones, but they let it happen because some corporations are making huge profits from sick and unhealthy people.

My ex companion' brother is obese. He has insurance but the insurance is refusing to pay for his stomack reduction surgery. They are telling him: Just die !

If you people had universal health care through your government, his surgery would have been done long ago !

Any one against government health care is a complet FOOL!

The article title makes sense. If human health care is related to ailments by the pound of flesh, then persons whom weigh twice as much as the median human body mass, will cost proportionally twice as much. Since crimes can be solved based on the evidence of a grain of DNA, then it must be true that casting a shadow the size of a plantary object holds similar weight in terms of cost.

Gluttony.

WOW,

I guess that now that the "Wunderkind" have pretty much defeated Smokers it is time to Attack FAT PEOPLE.

Let's not count the ENORMOUS cost of Health-Care which pays for the "WUNDERKIND'S" cosmetic surgery and dental surgery and, My Favorite, "WELLNESS PREVENTION".

If you let your kids out into the real world and let them, say, play in dirt when they are young then they could get the NORMAL childhood sniffles while building up a tolerance to NORMAL sicknesses. BUT NOOO, You want them in a Sterile childhood. It Doesn't HELP Them In The Long Run.

I AM FAT. I have been sent to the hospital for "Stress Tests", and "High Blood Pressure Tests", and EVEN "Pshycological Tests", because my "Wunderkind" supervisors had "CONCERNS". I have never had to go to the Hospital, and the one and only time I was sick was back in the 80's when I got a flu shot. IT made me sick.

I PASSED EVERY TEST, EVERY TIME.

MY REVENGE to the "WUNDERKIND" is that even though both my Mother's side and my Father's side are what the "WUNDERKIND" would call OBESE that I have ALWAYS excelled at my job field,(which is very physically intensive), AND that considering that MY Grandparents on BOTH sides were in their Mid-90's when they passed and that MY parents are BOTH in their late 70's and frequently receive compliments on how great they look and feel and that I am in my 50"s and feel great,

MY REVENGE IS THAT I AM GOING TO LIVE LONGER THEN MOST OF MY CRITICS. HAHAHA

Of course its flawed. Not all overweight people are in the hospitals or getting extra medical attention. People with allergies get more medical treatment. People with asthma have higher medical bills. People with cancer has higher medical bills. People with diabetes have higher medical bills. People who do these studies have higher medical bills due to stress.

They all lie Fat is good, So just have a Cigarette and a glass of Whisky and calm down. With some pork rinds :)

scar_tissue "Take the boomers out of the equation & chill on this whole obesity panic already, there isn't one." I challenge you to watch the children and teenagers leaving your local school. Or do some people watching at your local mall. You will quickly see that obesity is NOT a boomer" problem.

The nation's children eat more sugar and fat now than 50 years ago, and exercise less than 50 years ago. There is less manual labor done than 50 years ago. When was the last time you saw clothes hanging on a clothes line? It seems to me the more affluent America's middle class became, the more they ate, as if eating poorly was a symbol of their wealth. When the first McDonald's opened, even the lower middle class could afford to eat out" on their 10 cent burgers and fries! Before then, eating out" was something only the upper middle class and beyond could afford to do. They lower class FINALLY could have someone prepare their food and sere it to them!

I'm not advocating doing away with labor saving machines and other technology. I AM advocating that the time saved be put to better use than sitting on one's duff, eating prepackaged food, and not exercising.

Again, if parents set an example of moderate portions and at least moderate exercise every day WITH their children, our nation would eliminate the obeisty problem in a generation.

BTW, menopause does NOT create obesity. Lack of portion control and exercise creates it!

Just another bit of indisputable proof that the first preregister to work in DC is thew ability to give the insurance industry an epic BJ on a daily basis. This is the way these filthy whores work. Keep lowering the bar of any threshold they can, to steal more money from the few remaining fortunate hardworking Americans, and shovel it into their own Mafia pockets.

relytkof "ROY WILSON-336103 -I don't think there is one single thing on God's earth we agree on but hell just froze over... I would support that idea."

Whoops, I may have to re-examine my position. I wouldn't want to spoil a perfect record.

lol

Lawence

Of course its flawed. Not all overweight people are in the hospitals or getting extra medical attention. People with allergies get more medical treatment. People with asthma have higher medical bills. People with cancer has higher medical bills. People with diabetes have higher medical bills. People who do these studies have higher medical bills due to stress.

Actually people with allegies/asthma do not have higher medical bills nor require more medical treatment. People with cancer? If you compare normal weight patients and obese, you will quickly find out that obese have higher rate of complications and tend to heal slower.

Diabetes? Lol. You realize that for Type 2 diabetes, obesity is the main reason for getting it right? Eat tons of sugar, your body keeps producing more insulin. After a while your body gets resistant to insulin and will wreck havoic to your body. It's a nasty disease.

Many more health problems related to obesity. High blood pressure leads to heart disease, stroke, kidney/liver failure; osteoarthritis, sleep apnea/respiratory problems, gaastroesophageal reflux, etc...............

Obesity does contribute higher medical costs.

I love how the title is purposely written to incite hate and discrimination towards overweight persons.

Based on this blog, it appears that obese people are the new object to bully in this country!

A question: Why is it that this society needs someone to bully and put down?

Another question: wouldn't most of you people on todays blog would say they are compassionate people?

Doesn't that seem a little hypocritical folks?

Huh, let me see. We are bringing up the 'Hormone Injected Meat makes you fat' again even though if you knew how protein bonds worked cross species you would know that is bunk. I'll leave it there.

As for this study, well thank you Mr Obvious. I lost 25% of my total weight in the last year, and i am sleeping better, no more joint pain, no more being winded just walking, and I am off all of the drugs that I was on. My health care costs went from thousands to $220 a year before insurance. My grocery bill dropped too.

My wife is healthy at 5'4" and 110lbs. She has some medical issues that could be exasperated by weight, so they would be catastrophic if she were fat.

And yes, a 5'5" female should weigh under 135 on average. Unless you are muscular. What we need is all physicians to do caliper tests and record the fat %. Anything over 15% in men would be overweight and at 30% is obese. Stop by your local gym, ask them to do a caliper test, pay the $30, and see for yourself how unhealthy you are.

As for the children, yes, they are getting fatter. I have stopped being quite on this subject. When I see a parent buying their rotund child ice cream, I stop and ask why. Why would you abuse your child like that? Why set them up for diabetes and heart failure? Why are you handing the health care industry and pharmaceutical companies more of your money that you don't have too? I feel I can ask now because I am paying more because of their bad choices. Don't want me to ask, then pay more for that privilege.

If you're fat, you should pay more for health insurance, clothes, services in which weight increases cost, etc. Being fat is a choice, its just that it is the easiest choice people can make.

And yes, I was fat and still have more weight to lose. Know how I am going to spend an hour of my evening? At the gym, after I eat a hormone laden grilled chicken breast and a cup of broccoli for dinner.

Hi BILL M,

You ask why a parent would ABUSE? their fat child by buying them ice cream?

I have personally witnessed many "Happy-go-lucky" children, who are doing good to great in their school work and are well adjusted, CRUSHED by the Children and ADULTS who single them out for RIDICULE and TAUNTING because they don't meet the "WUNDERKIND" standards of appearance.

In the Philadelphia,Pennsylvania school district so-called OBESE children have been singled out and put in "SPECIAL" classes when their ONLY "CRIME" is being FAT.

SEIG HEIL, DUMB*SS!

Oh the perfect people speak. I am sure neither of you have any issues at all. I am 250 pounds 5'5, I have perfect blood pressure, low cholesterol and no heart problems. I just had a complete physical with extensive blood work, all levels are normal. Had my yearly mammogram and pap test, normal as usual. I am 49 and never had a thing wrong with me. I do not take meds for anything. I do not drink or smoke.

I know thin people with all sorts of medical issues, diabetes, high blood pressure and worse. Am I some sort of medical miracle?

Just to piss you off, we only pay $480.00 a year for complete health coverage. Yes, $480.00 a YEAR for myself and my husband. All the tests I just had done and the Dr's visits cost me $12.00. Had an accident last year, I paid ZERO at the emergency room and never saw a bill, even had a CAT scan. I haven't seen a Dr's bill in 7 years, or an insurance bill. Gotta love Tri-care Prime.

You go girl! Great comment!

I worked for a company that gave health insurance discounts to those that, maintained a healthy lifestyle and met the recommended height & weight goals.

Trouble was the Union with their wage demands and the economy, forced them out of business.

The UK did a study comparing the health care cost of smokers & drinkers to healthy people. The healthy people COST MORE because they lived longer. I guess the fatties are not dying fast enough.

Why make the insurance companies deal with this problem. Charge a progressive tax on unhealthy foods and activities. Figure out how much certain items will cost in terms of future medical bills, amortize it over 40-50 years and divide by number of units sold and Voila. Might be a good start.

free thinker, your weight will eventually create problems for you. You are relatively young yet. Do you consider what the extra weight is doing to your knees and hips? It's only a matter of time before the joint problems will catch up with you.

Idiocrat, why not deal with the food conglomerates who fill all the affordable food with poison? I buy only the items with the lowest fat, I pay a heavy (no pun intended) premium for it and wind up eating the same stuff all the time. Grow up, wake up, your government has been stolen by big business, and they have declared war on you.

What an idiotic notion. By the numbers, if overweight is double the amount then by those numbers only half of the 17% represent the total overweight patients which is 8.5%. That means for every 1000 people who get health care there are 85 people over weight. This is allot less then the 1 in 3 that is always reported. Taking their numbers the total medical cost would be $434,000,000,000. Pump that into the real overweight numbers: $1,597,647,058,823 would be the total health care bill for the nation which is 3.68 times the other number.

Definition of Obesity: Obesity is defined as having an excessive amount of body fat. Obesity is more than just a cosmetic concern, though. It increases your risk of diseases and health problems such as diabetes and high blood pressure. Only count the true Obese people so, just because someone is overweight does not make him/her obese.

Free_Thinker

Oh the perfect people speak. I am sure neither of you have any issues at all. I am 250 pounds 5'5, I have perfect blood pressure, low cholesterol and no heart problems. I just had a complete physical with extensive blood work, all levels are normal. Had my yearly mammogram and pap test, normal as usual. I am 49 and never had a thing wrong with me. I do not take meds for anything. I do not drink or smoke.

I know thin people with all sorts of medical issues, diabetes, high blood pressure and worse. Am I some sort of medical miracle?

Just to piss you off, we only pay $480.00 a year for complete health coverage. Yes, $480.00 a YEAR for myself and my husband. All the tests I just had done and the Dr's visits cost me $12.00. Had an accident last year, I paid ZERO at the emergency room and never saw a bill, even had a CAT scan. I haven't seen a Dr's bill in 7 years, or an insurance bill. Gotta love Tri-care Prime.

Am I the only one that caught that? For everyone that didn't, Tri-care Prime is available to Active Duty Military Families ONLY. Must be nice. Never have to worry about if insurance companies will cover medical bills or get hit with a unexpected charge. A socialist program that everyone got fooled into fearing. Like I said, it must be nice to pay $480 a year for full coverage.

The reason it only costs $480 annually is because our taxes pay for that program. And as someone else pointed out, the health issues will catch up to her eventually... at which point she will still be paying the same and the rest of us will be contributing more in taxes to support this stupidity.

Yeah, I caught the Tri-Care. Gyms are free on base you know.

Lawence, your numbers are off. This is only covering weight related illnesses. So they are talking the percent of total, not rewriting the total. so one third of the population is obese, but 17% of the total healthcare bill is caused by that. Hope that makes sense.

Had-enough: Tri-care Prime is available for RETIRED military. It is a benefit that RETIRES EARN for their service. 21 years in the military, I think we earned it. Oh and its $460 a year.

svensk: Our taxes pay for it too. We pay our fair share ,27k last year alone so we aren't sponging off anyone.

You and i both free thinker , Unfortunately there is a crowd of folks here in the U.S that want everything handed to them they believe everything is free and they are the reason we now have to fight this obamacare crap.

That no one read and was passed in the dark .

If you earn a half way decent income but can afford healthcare they fine you and you still don't have health care if your a total deadbeat then you win you get your healthcare and the taxpayers expense..i am definitely voting these liberals out.

And make sure that the doctor is in good health too, or find one who is before you rely on their diagnoses? We all need to examine our dietary and exercise habits. Unless we are diagnosed with a severe genetic glandular problem, we are the ones who "heal" our bodies, not the doctors, not the pills, not surgery. That is the real definition of disease.....dis-ease.....the body out of sync. Listen to your body and heal thyself as the old saying goes. We can drastically reduce our medical costs if we would just take care of ourselves. Environment has an effect on us yes, but so do our uneducated dietary habits, stress levels, and lack of exercise.....too many couch potatoes from infants on.

@Derek-V

Wage war on the clown fast food company (put another 1,000,000 out of work)

Wage war on the meth, crack and heroin traffickers and dealers (put another 3,000,000 out of work). Guess we shouldn't do that either.

America, the only country where you can spot the poor by how FAT they are :(

So do we now hate the rich thincats?

I guess when you get sick, you'll end up in the emergency room and I'll be paying for it with my inflated insurance premiums.

If you are healthy, visits to a doctor are rare.

Visits to the doctor are also rare among those who are in deep denial about the true state of their health.

Thats BS...I hadn't been to the doctor in a decade and at the insistence of my wife, went had all these tests done, physical, whatever. Cost me 250 for them to tell me I was in tip top shape. People that are knowledgeable about their health don't need to go to the doctor that often.

I fully agree jtrom. I haven't been to a doctor in over 15 years, except for treatment of a major cat bite. I am a lacto/ovo vegetarian with limited consumption of the ovo. As a massage therapist who had 18 months of anatomy/physiology training as part of my massage therapy training, I have a pretty good understanding of the human body and can tell when I'm not treating my body correctly and can determine the changes I need to make. Too many people are totally ignorant on reading their own bodies. I personally feel that those "health" classes they teach in secondary education should all include a full semester or more on how to do just that......of course too many of our "health" educators don't even know how to "read their own bodies." Look how out of shape many of our educators and healthcare professionals are (obese, smokers, drinkers, etc.)

If they'd follow up their own studies, they'd find a lot of the obesity is actually caused by the doctors and the pharmacies. Those of you who say more infrequent visits to doctors is healthier, are absolutely right because with today's doctors, if you don't have something wrong with you, they'll think of something and prescribe all those redundant little psycho pills etc., along with instructions to only take with full stomach or with meals. And some side affects may be........................ (list of about 100 things) usually much worse than the illness they made up for you in the first place. Aren't a lot of docs nowadays that even finish med school or know what they're doing. Oh they have their practice alright. Just wish sometimes they could get it right.

Hooraayyy.... at last, someone who like me is a medical nihilist. I just wonder if since they are saying I MUST have health insurance (hoping to buy some cheap-ass plan that doesn't cover anything and with a high deduct just to say I "have insurance) will they start telling me I have to go to the doctor too. And, and just for laughs..... I actually work in a medical related field.

And u r how old? 12? 13? Trust me, med conditions have no age requirements and you could find your behind on a Dr.'s couch any day now. So, best get up, trash that junk food and start exercising.

To Jtrom: You should be thanking your wife for caring about you.

I had a few minutes to spare one day, so I stopped by my mammogram clinic and got the test (my ins covered it). Thank God I did. Early detection, early treatment, and cancer free for 11 years now.

So even though you feel healthy, does not make it necessarily so. An annual check-up doesn't hurt anything and just may save your life. $250 vs a $10,000 funeral...U decide.

People who believe that they're healthy and/or don't see the need to go to a doctor for a checkup may be harboring silent killers, like high blood pressure or high cholesterol.

By the time your body has a stroke or a heart attack, it's too late for preventative monitoring and treatment.

Brag all you want about how you're healthy and don't need to see a doctor, but please have health insurance anyway so my premiums won't be going to cover your astronomical hospital bills.

I AM FAT.

And I Have ALWAYS Been Healthy. I Don't Burden Anyone with my Health-Care.

This is LESS about HEALTH, and MORE about what a certain segment of society thinks EVERYONE should look like.

SEIG HEIL comes to mind.

If this offends you, STOP ACTING LIKE A "WUNDERKIND".

I am fat as well...normal Cholesterol, normal Blood pressure...but still I know in my middle years, it is aging me. I am exercising and trying to eat better (I don't always succeed...but I eat a lot healthier than some thin people I see.) Can I eat better ...yes, of course, but I do not think I will ever be what the Doctors consider normal weight. That is just the way it is. We do not all fit into the same mold. I am afraid that American society is going to go on a witch hunt to find who to blame for the rising cost for health care. Instead of finding out why a band-aid in a hospital cost $40.00, they will target the fat guy...they are easier to see!

ProudWestVirginian

If they'd follow up their own studies, they'd find a lot of the obesity is actually caused by the doctors and the pharmacies

Yeah. I'm sure not exercising, eating fast foods and junk foods have absolute bearing on adding the pounds. It's all the doctors and the pharmacies fault. The people that the sick rarely ever go too unless they really have to. Spends more time and money at fast food resturants than a doctor's office or in a pharmacy. Yeah, you totally make sense.

No welfare - I was just abused as a child and have being fighting with this issue alll my life. Give me a break -- you charge for fat people 000 wait until they determine the cost of being stupid --- I'm sure you'll enjoy those large payments

I agree "fat professional woman".. no one should pass judgement on someone for their size or if they are a smoker or non smoker.. or for any other reason.. however I gotta tell ya.. I don't know anything about these people posting comments but I can say this is a sad world when people can be just so hateful about something like weight... very shallow people. Live and let live.. not every overweight person is unhealthy.. just like thin people are not all healthy.

BillyBoy - Were you dropped on your head as a child? You are just mean to the core!!

How was the child abuse a contributing factor to your weight problem? What other "conditions" exist that have made this a problem all of your life? Is it mostly an emotional problem related to that abuse? What help have you received that really works? You have left a lot of questions unanswered with your comments. Obesity has been proven to further intensify other health conditions and does intensify healthcare costs. That is the point of this article and the new study.

Or maybe you wish everybody could be skinny like all your crackhead friends, eh Billyboy?

"Oh, I was abused as a child", SO WHAT!! It's your life now as an adult. Get over the past and lose some weight. You will enjoy the rest of your time on this globe.

RE: FatProfessionalWoman: don't blame child abuse on your obsity. Blame yourself for not learning to push yourself away from the table after a healthy, modest meal. Try some fresh fruit & veggies and stay away from those calorie laden sweets and junk food. You know the ones. They're the ones you wash down with a diet pop to make yourself feel better.

If 17% of U.S. medical costs are caused by obesity, who is responsible for the remaining 83% of medical costs???

I don't know, but 17% sounds pretty low to me - why are NONE of you (OR THESE "STUDIES") pointing the finger at the remaining 83% or why was that information not included in the article? I propose we immediately begin eradicating families who carry genes that contribute to heart failure, prostate cancer, breast cancer, and childhood diabetes. Let's also make sure they start paying double price premiums from the day they are born because I KNOW they are going to cost you money. It would probably be a good idea to double-tax the stupid people too: Surcharge if you have less than a Master's Degree.

You are a fool. The 17% or 170 BILLION dollars is AVOIDABLE. All that money doesn't need to be spent if all the fat people in the US weren't trying to kill themselves quicker. The people that have problems related to genetics can't help it. I'm sure a person diagnosed with cancer would much rather be 100 pounds overweight, because at least they can fix the problem.

shaz: You missed the point ( and notice I did not feel it necessary to call you a silly name). I have never seen any study that proves "fat" people die sooner than any other segment of the population that experiences health problems (even those that are "skinny") and to say it is "fixable" is easier said than done. Obviously, if it were that easy everyone would be in perfect condition as I'm sure you are.

You all seem to be missing the point that the purpose of this study was simply to give our biggest national disgrace, the medical / pharma and health insurance industries yet another opportunity to rip us off.

Same thing happens to smokers.........Go to the doctors for pink eye or an ear ache they will somehow blame it on cigarettes.

Yeah, just because fat people are sick and unhealthy, why blame it on the fact that they are fat?

"Past studies have relied just on self-reported weight, and many people understate their actual weight. The new research made statistical adjustments to come up with what are believed to be truer figures."

So they altered the numbers to make it fit the higher $$ amount they wanted to get at. That smells a little like cheating!!

It's not that excessive. The extra weight does a number on the body. Makes the back ache, the knees go bad, swollen ankles, harder to breath, etc etc. If they were of "normal" weight many of the problems can be avoided. So, the extra costs are most likely due to the extra problems. It's the same with smoking. If you are the virtue of fitness you still get sick, still get sore, still have problems, but I bet you it's a fraction of what obese people have.

I notice we don't mention drinkers or alcoholics in these little studies. Or methheads or prescription drug abusers. OOh, slug, one two three four. lmao. Hits too many of the docs and politicians doesn't it. Betty Ford clinic, for instance, wasn't created for fat people. And can we all say Sclerosis?

17%??? So who are the people contributing to 83% of health costs? Why don't we just blame it on them? Oh that's right...it's not nice to call people derogatory names who have cancer or heart problems or high blood pressure.

I'm just wondering if the people who composed this study were Drinking at the time.

You can't advertise Smoking on television,And Yet,Almost every sporting event is Sponsored by ALCHOHOL.

"But I'm Sure NONE Of The Other 83% Is Caused By ALCHOHOL, Because ALCHOHOL Doesn't Even Rate Enough Of A Health Risk For Our UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT To BAN The Advertising Of It On Television.".

I guess Alchohol has never hurt Anyone. (NOD,NOD-WINK,WINK).

Not necessarily stop eating, but take personal responsibility for WHAT you eat. Like try eating REAL food rather than over-processed non-nutritional "fast" or "convenience" foods. And don't eat so much!

At least most people have stopped pretending that obesity is a disease... apparently they figured out that pretending it is not personal responsibility only makes people even less responsible. Maybe next they'll figure out that addiction isn't a disease either.

If they can call it a disease they can charge for expensive treatments and Tax payers have to pay for it> Kinda like the mental health ripoff!

Obesity - one of the few health issues left where personal attacks arent roundly criticized. Not even alcoholics or drug addicts suffer the level of verbal viciousness aimed at heavy people. Yes, obesity IS a disease, and so are all other DISEASES of addiction. The definition of disease is loss of health. Rather than being AT ease, you are at DIS ease. Obesity is largely the result of self medicating depression, just like alcoholism and drug abuse (and even cigarrette smoking). The drug of choice is food, rather than liquor or pills or street drugs.

Its much easier to attack obese people because this society is so preoccupied with appearance. Alcoholism doesnt affect appearance as dramatically as chronic overeating, but both the alcoholic and the obese individual are abusing a substance.

And our society is constantly sending us messages to eat, to indulge - just look at the commercials. I find it ironic that one of the corporations that shares a big part of the guilt for handing "the bottle to the drunk" - has lobbied for, and received - waivers for providing thier employees appropriate health insurance under the new health laws. The corp? McDonalds. This corp. should be paying through the nose - not just for thier own employees, but for thier role in "dealing" to food addicts. We all pay for the profits made from something like KFC's Double-Down disaster sandwich.

Yes, there is of course, personal responsibility - but the same can be said for all manner of illness - liver disease from drinking, respiratory disease from smoking, paralysis etc. from wreckless driving / motorcycling, AIDs from promiscuity, etc. The list of diseases (and resultant cost to society) goes on and on for not living the straight and narrow monastic lifestyle.

It is NOT ok to verbally attack heavy people. More than any other disease, heavy people carry around not just the weight of thier fat, but a great ponderous weight of guilt and shame. Its not an addiction that can be as easily hidden as the wide variety of other addictions. They are just as guilty and troubled as drinkers, smokers, and drug users.

The nation's obesity epidemic is the synergistc result of the current state of this Nation. The constant guerilla marketing by junkfood corporations, a society and government that urges us to consume in every way possible, code-red levels of anxiety causing us to run for comfort of any kind we can get, the breakdown of the family unit (no sit down family dinners, too important to rush off to the next soccer game or other extracurricular, or overtime at work, blah blah blah), and p!ss-poor parenting (either letting them sit all day in front of the tv because theyre too overwhelmed to parent, or giving in to thier child's every demand, because its easier than actually parenting).

I don't think it's about viciousness or hatred. It's about resentment that those of us who take personal responsibility for our diet, exercise and health are subsidizing what is essentially a lifestyle choice made by those who are obese. We subsidize it through our insurance premiums and our taxes.

Linda Brown, in fact I think we both did. And, the stat was, 2/3 of Americans will qualify as obese by 2020. I guarantee you that this study is dead on the money. I have traveled a great deal in my career in the U.S. and internationally, but in the U.S. there are more people grossly overweight than not I believe.

For what ever reason, medical, eating disorder, etc. the fact is we're doomed if we stay on this path. You want to get a real glimpse into the future, look at the kids of those who are obese.

I do not intend my comments to be cruel; just a statement of the current condition of our society.

Those of you who could actually exercise some and eat more proper meals, please do the rest of us a favor. Those who need medical assistance to get there, please seek it and stick with it for the good of our entire society in this country.

Its not just the fat folk taking advantage of us there jack. Its druggies, smokers, drinkers, meth heads, foreigners. Anybody stop to think about how much money goes into cleaning up after these little no lifes that run methlabs? Anybody care about crap like that? Or how much is wasted that way? And kudos for not having any unhealthy vices, like drinking or smoking or addictions to drugs of any kind. I'm sure we'll find all the posters on here vice and sin free right? roflmao

Yes, the same way we subsidize skiing accidents, bike accidents, car accidents and so on. What would you suggest? Do we tax everything that doesn't fit in your VERY NARROW view of lifestyle choices and personal responsibility. So much for freedom of choice!!!!!!

Resentment is a dangerous luxury. It is a feeling that does not lead to acts of charity, kindness, compassion, or altruism. You will feel whatever you will, jackalope - but remember that feelings underpin actions. Or lack of actions. Feelings of resentment are never uplifting. United we stand, divided we fall, and that is in all things, including love, empathy, hatred, resentment. If you find yourself hating or resenting another and they have done nothing to you - they havent kicked your dog, or slept with your spouse or broken into your house - you really should stop and do some deep introspective thinking. Resentment towards a group of people for a disability, a cultural trait, a disease, an ethnicity - is dangerous territory - if you are at all concerned about such things as philanthropy, kindness, charity, compassion, tolerance.... etc...

You tell em....it always floors me when I see the sheer #s of ppl who'll post on an issue they have no clue about, but it rouses some sense of jealousy in them that someone else might be getting something they can't, never occurring to them that the ppl who have the stuff they're so jealous over would hand it to em in a flash b/c they don't want it. Ignorant fools IMHO.

jackalope-1429482 My goodness. You simply have no clue about why people are fat. It's not simply over eating.

Just read a medical article several days ago. For your information science has recently discovered that genetics plays a much larger roll in weight than they ever realized.

Shouldn't you take that into account before you cruelly point your finger at fat people?

Or do you need to be cruel to fulfill a sick need inside you?

I like to check in,once in a while, and see what the "WUNDERKIND" are saying about fat people.

The same old "justifications" for Making fellow citizens get on the same treadmill they put their 3-year old on.

We have cut Smoking, whose insurance went down?

We have made our workplace healthier , whose insurance went down?

INSURANCE COMPANY PROFITS,FROM PREMIUMS,HAVE SKYROCKETED IN THE LAST 9 YEARS. Whose insurance went down?

Which Major Insurance company came out against Alchohol sales and ADVERTISEMENT? NONE

They Mostly say: "It will take 30-40 years to reverse the damage done by an 'UNHEALTHY' Lifestyle".

Isn't that convenient. If they don't have their fortunes by now,THEY will by the time they are shown to be criminals. I've personally been sent for Stress Tests a couple of times. EVERY TIME the technician, after the test, RELUCTANTLY says it was perfect.

When a Major Medical Company WHO ISN'T trading on WALL-STREET comes out and proves that people are actually paying more for obesity instead of :

1) homeless-NO HEALTHCARE

2) Illegals-NO healthcare

3) Addicts

4) Alchoholics

AND THE BIG ONE THAT NO ONE WILL ADMIT--

GIRLS,WOMEN, WHO GET PREGNANT when YOUNG, OR UNEMPLOYED, OR WITHOUT AN INCOME.

BECAUSE "HEY", SOMEONE ELSE WILL PAY FOR IT.

Until we STOP paying women "EVERY TIME THEY POP-OUT A CHILD", YOUR INSURANCE WILL NEVER GO DOWN.

But it's easier to 'Demonise" fat people instead of standing up in the face of "Political Correctness".

Someday,MAYBE, the "WUNDERKIND" will admit the role of GENETICS and ENVIRONMENT in a persons health and longevity.

Yes you hit the nail on the head. Got to blame someone for the health care bill costing so much more than the cost reduction they claimed. I know far more happy overweight old people than skinny doctors. If doctors know what makes one healthy and live longer why is there such a big shortage of doctors?

Because doctor's have lives from hell and becoming a physician isn't quite as easy as getting into community college. You would only know this if you actually lived with one. Judging from your post, I assume you don't. Try not to comment on what you know nothing of.

You're right, nobody lies about their weight. I assume you are obese.

You know what they say about "assume", dontcha?

Didn't think so.

Strange, I didn't see that info in the story.

What are the references for your statement?

Or were you just making it up?

See for yourself. This from the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta:

http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/trends.html

Ok. I looked.

Of the 9 worst states 3 have republican Governors and 6 have Democratic Governors.

Of the next 24 worst states 10 have Republican Governors and 14 have Democratic Governors.

Your statement doesn't hold water. Sorry Charlie!!!!!!!

Just because a governor (or senator or representative) is a Democrat does not mean they support health care reform--especially the Democrats in the Southern part of our nation. Landrieu comes to mind.

Landrieu supported the Health Care Bill!

Check her web site - http://landrieu.senate.gov/priorities/health-care.cfm

Also, I've never heard anyone put Landrieu in the category of "right-wing politicians".

I apologize. I meant Senator Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas. Many right-wing (Blue Dog) Democrats, including Landrieu, made a big effort to water down true health care reform. The law we finally got was not real health care reform. It was a small first step. At least it prevents my insurance company from canceling my policy if my wife or I get sick.

Senator Branche Lincoln supported the Health Care Bill. See her voting record at - http://lincoln.senate.gov/legislation/votes_lincoln.cfm?sessionno=1&congress=111

Please do a little research before posting!

Only after insisting that it be watered down. The bill Democrats were finally able to extract to avoid a Republican filibuster was not very strong. The Republicans and Conservative Democrats refused to allow a straight up-or-down vote.

This is funnier than the article. Ralph must have mad Google skills.

not real bright are ya there jack. If you check out the real reason your comprehensive insurance is going up, you'll find its more largely connected to those idiotic health care people like the ones doing that study. Most of those in health care nowadays are too dumb to pour pee out of a boot with the directions on the heel, let alone treat anything. but because we're now expected to "tolerate" anything and everything that migrates to this country and decides to label itself a doctor or healthcare representative, we follow their instructions. And don't take those five hundred psycho pills on an empty stomach right? jeeeeeeez.

Ralph is my new hero! <3

1. Why did your sister not get more information about the meds she was taking? The information is as close as her computer.

2. Why did she trust her doctor? They are human beings, not gods! How about some personal responsibility?

3. How about if she tries eating a lot less? The law of conservation of energy dictates that the fat on her body doesn't appear from nothing.

How about if Jherek shuts up about stuff they don't know.

Amen to that.

Yeah, even worse than the peep up the line who rudely told me to shut up b/c he thinks MSNBC is going to inform & enlighten him on serious matters like this one LOL Some ppl think they rule the 'net & their opinion is the last stop on it.

How about if Sue engage in civil discourse rather than throw out rude comments without even bothering to present her points as to why she disagrees? I guess that would require some intelligence and maturity.

Jherek Carnelian How about you shut your pie hole. you are obviously a idiot .your going to be charged double on Insurance because your a insane know it all.

Sleepless, please note I asked some questions, I wasn't making statements. You might want to learn the difference and the implications of each. My post was quite civil which you and Sue might want to try some time.

So what is your point...most people lie about their by UNDERSTATING IT!

And then we get the munchies and then we're fat and our health care costs go up!

Are you a doctor trying to make more money?

That is not hypocrisy it is common sense!

BS Chief... Where is the tolerance for obese people? After all, they are different to..

I really love it when I'm in the grocery store on the 1st of the month (actually try to avoid it), and see the crap the food stamps buy. Not everyone who is on food stamps is irresponsible, but when I see Twinkies, whoopi pies, candy, non-diet soda (name brand of course), chips (name brand too) and other assorted unhealthy foods being put on the counter by some fat welfare queen, with her obese spawn(s) in tow, I get mad. Then, to add insult to injury last week the bimbo in front of me had a package of deli-meat ( about a pound) that she decided she didn't want because her kid "won't eat it because it's not sliced thin enough" and I figure it gets tossed out, she then whips out the food stamp card, held the line up forever puttering around with her bags and purse. I was running between my jobs. I happened to follow her out, she was parked near me in a vehicle a whole lot newer than mine.....since we are forced to pay for their food why shouldn't they be forced to get educated about what to eat/shop for bargains. I am just sick of paying for other peoples' poor choices!!! I don't care if its drugs, alcohol, tobacco, having kids when they have known health risks for a genetic deficiency, having kids they can't afford, or FOOD--why isn't anyone responsible for their own actions anymore. No wonder the government THINKS it should protect us. We don't need more protection we need the return of common sense and personal responsibility.

O here we go, I knew eventually there'd be a drive-by trolling from the I'm-so-thin-because-I'm-totally-consumed-by-jealousy-that-I'm-too-rich-for-food-stamps contingent!

How inconvenient for you Scar-Tissue that the other two posters are actually right and your comment is a meaningless, petulant criticism.

You know what I think is ruinign the USA. Stupid, illiterate, uneduacated, and ignorant people like yourself. What about all the smokers, druggies, and drinkers! I would say they are worse. They hurt people do FAT people hurt anybody but themselves? you tell me since you think you are so smart. It is ignorant people that make the US so bad. If more people were aware of more than this little insular world they would reallt have a clue. You talk FAT look at Sumo wrestlers, but is being too skinny healthy, NO, I don't think so. I am only takinbg in 1000-1200 calories and I still cannot manage to lose weight. Do you know what this amounts to? I am eating about the same as my children. We do NOT buy junk food, soda or anything like that. We eat a lot of fruit and veggies. Also, some people are born with diseases. I had an aunt born Type 1 diabetic. SKINNY AS A RAIL! Like a size 2 in Juniors and she was close to 40 years old! This was not related to OBESITY at all just life. Figure that out!

Or maybe we could just stop judging people and practice a little more tolerance. Who are you going to pick on next, old people I suppose. Makes sense to charge the elderly more doesn't it.

That's already been done, but in reverse & in a punitive fashion, by some private insurers. They won't give out a discount, but they will charge extra for an imperfect BMI or a trace of nicotine in blood work.

Why object to offering financial incentives to encourage healthy life styles? We already do it with smoking.

No one is picking on anyone. Studies show obesity is costly, why object to rewarding people who try to do all they can to be healthy?

Sadly, insurance companies already penalize the elderly.

Depending on your height and bone structure, 43# does not necessarily make you obese, just overweight. This BMI calculator only factors in your height. According to my anatomy/physiology classes noted above, bone structure and muscle mass also needs to be calculated into that determination. The "standard" of this calculator is that you are obese if you are more than 30# over what is considered normal for your height. Yes, even thin people can and do have health problems, but there are many other factors that also play into your health condition, whether you are under or over "normal" weight.

http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/

Or just stop subsidizing high fructose corn syrup.

Did you miss the guy who ate nothing but Twinkies for 2 mos just to prove junk food didn't make you fat? He lost more weight than he thought he would. HA! And for the shoert period he was on them, it didn't clog his arteries or anything, either. Goes to show what goes in your mouth doesn't much matter.

Char .... If you put as much time and energy into losing weight as you do ranting ...

Just saying .....

Way to go Char!

No stress, your probably a reseacher with the Obama agenda.Everybody has a vice.The Question is when will they get to yours????

It takes a little research sometimes to get the info,, char, but it is out there.

This chart shows how healthcare costs have grown (but only goes to 2004)

http://www.healthguideusa.org/health_statistics/national_health_expenditures.htm

This link has the 2008 comparison of how healthcare dollars are spent

http://www.kaiseredu.org/Issue-Modules/US-Health-Care-Costs/Background-Brief.aspx

Chronic disease vs total healthcare

http://www.ahrq.gov/research/ria19/expendria.htm

http://www.rwjf.org/pr/product.jsp?id=45728

http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/content/full/hlthaff.w4.437/DC1

BTW, many health insurance companies already price their policies based on conditions/lifestyles and exclude people because of those same factors. That is why the HCR has now eliminated pre-conditions as grounds for not granting insurance coverage or canceling policies.

Another point you missed with this article char is that they are simply discussing the fact that prior studies had underestimated the percentage of costs attributed to obesity. It wasn't an article to compare obesity to other health factors. Obesity can and does lead to other health conditions and that is the crux of this and other studies on obesity. See #9.2 for the link to the CDC report on the rise of obesity in the US.

Just like the Repubs warned. Fat old people better hide Dems Death Squads starting up