ABSTRACT

Obesity affects approximately 300 million adults worldwide and has been identified by the World Health Organization as the major neglected health problem today (World Health Organization, 2002). Obesity is associated with increased risks of type 2 diabetes mellitus (Ford et al., 1997; Larsson et al., 1981; Lipton et al., 1993); hypertension (Dyer and Elliot, 1989); dyslipidemias (Tchernof et al., 1996); coronary artery disease (Hubert et al., 1983); stroke (Rexrode et al., 1997); cholelithiasis (Stampfer et al., 1992); osteoarthritis (Hochberg et al., 1995); and respiratory problems (Young et al., 1993).