Adult Obesity Overtaking Tobacco As #1 U.S. Killer
Adult obesity is moving to the top of the list as the nations #1 killer. As Americans continue to eat themselves to death being overweight may soon pass up tobacco the leading cause of death according to a U.S. government study. Researchers at the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, US, and led by Ali Mokdad concluded that about 50% of all deaths in the U.S. can be prevented by behavior or habit changes. Tobacco was the leading cause of death for 18.1% of total U.S. deaths in 2000. Poor diet, weight gain and little or no physical activity was the leading cause of 16.6% of total U.S. deaths in the same year. Smoking, poor diet, weight gain or adult obesity plus little or no physical activity contribute to the three major killers - heart disease, cancer and stroke.
The trends indicating increased death risk due to poor diet, weight gain/obesity, and little or no physical activity are going up due to changes in our environment. "Simply we eat more and exercise less" Mokdad told New Scientist. Tobacco is still going down in the U.S. but at a slow rate, we hope it continues and perhaps declines faster." If current trends continue, obesity will become the leading cause by 2005, with the toll surpassing 500,000 deaths annually. "This is a tragedy, says CDC director Julie Gerberding. "We are looking at this as a wake-up call."
The gap between deaths due to poor diet, adult obesity and inactivity and those due to smoking has narrowed but not due to a decrease in smoking. Of course, this means the gap has narrowed due to an increase in being overweight.
"Americans need to understand that overweight and obesity are literally killing us." said health secretary Tommy Thompson, adding that the study's finding. "should motivate all Americans to take action to protect their health."
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Written By: Myrna Caudill
