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The Epidemic of Obesity

Channing Laboratory (C.J.S., G.A.C.), Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Harvard Medical School; Harvard Center for Cancer Prevention (C.J.S., G.A.C.), Harvard School of Public Health; and Division of Sports Medicine (C.J.S.), Children’s Hospital Boston, Boston, Massachusetts 02115

Address all correspondence and requests for reprints to: Cynthia J. Stein, M.D., Channing Laboratory, 181 Longwood Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115. E-mail: cynthia.stein{at}post.harvard.edu.

As the obesity epidemic spreads, concern about the significant health and economic consequences has also grown. Obesity has been linked to a variety of chronic diseases, almost 300,000 deaths each year, and $117 billion in direct and indirect annual costs in the United States alone. In this article we review the recent trends in overweight and obesity, summarize the lifestyle factors that influence the increasing prevalence of obesity, and discuss the health and economic impact of the obesity epidemic.

Abbreviations: BMI, Body mass index; CVD, cardiovascular disease.

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