ABSTRACT
The incidence and prevalence of obesity in the United States has increased alarmingly over the past 30 years. From the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) II (19761980) to the 2003-2004 NHANES, the prevalence of individuals classied as being overweight or obese (BMI≥25) increased by about 41%, and the prevalence of individuals classied as being obese (body mass index [BMI]≥30) more than doubled. Of more concern is the fact that in this same time period, the prevalence of obesity among children and adolescents has tripled. Increasing body weight is associated with increased mortality (Lee et al. 1999) and morbidity for developing a variety of “lifestyle-related” diseases, including type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, asthma, arthritis, and high cholesterol (Mokdad et al. 2003), and costs attributed to
The Cost of Obesity: More Than Just Dollars and Cents .............................................................. 199 Obesity Is Characterized by Increased Inammation ....................................................................200 Adipose Tissue: More Than Just a Storage Warehouse .................................................................200
