As Americans get fatter, the US Institute of Medicine takes action

More than two thirds of US adults aged over 20 are overweight or obese, as are nearly a third of children and adolescents aged 2-19, says a report by the Institute of Medicine and a study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.1 2

Obesity contributes to five of the 10 leading causes of death in the United States: heart disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer, stroke, and kidney disease.

By 2030 the situation will be worse, the journal article authors predicted at a press briefing: about 42% of US adults will be obese (with a body mass index of ≥30).

Although the …