Obesity

The first “Surgeon General’s Report on Nutrition and Health”, published in 1988, declared overweight and obesity to be one of the most prevalent diet-related problems in the U.S. In 2001, the “Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Prevent and Decrease Overweight and Obesity” noted that overweight and obesity have reached epidemic proportions among all population groups. According, to the data from the 1999-2000 National Health and Nutrition Education Examination Survey (NHANES), an estimated 64 percent of the adult population is overweight or obese and 15 percent of children and adolescents are considered overweight. Heart disease remains the number one killer of Americans, and obesity and overweight are known to influence the impact of this disease on the population. Obesity and overweight are associated with an increased risk for:

Hypertension
Diabetes
Osteoporosis
Degenerative joint disease or Osteoarthritis
Hypertriglyceridemia
Low levels of HDL-cholesterol and high levels of total and LDL-cholesterol
Sleep apnea
Impaired lung function
Gall bladder disease
Gout

In addition, an important independent risk factor for Chronic Heart Disease appears to be a sedentary lifestyle. Physical inactivity and obesity not only increases the risk of CHD but also is likely to influence the degree of overweight in population. Research increasingly suggests that even moderate levels of physical activity, if done daily, can help decrease the risk of CHD.

Prevention:
Adopt healthy heart eating patterns
Sedentary people: engage in physical activity at least 30 min every day
Moderate to Active people: engage in physical activity at least 30-60 min 3-5 days a week