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Hi,

I'm a newbie here, I hope this article isn't too

off-topic. No real surprise here:

Health

costs of obesity exceed smoking and drinking

By

Reaney Fri Jun 3, 7:37 AM ET

ATHENS (Reuters) - Treating

obesity-related disorders costs as much or more than illnesses caused

by aging, smoking and problem drinking.

It accounts for 2 percent of

the national health expenditure in France and Australia, more than 3

percent in Japan and Portugal and 4 percent in the Netherlands.

A review of research into the economic causes and consequences of

obesity presented at the 14th European Congress on Obesity showed that

in 2003 up to $96.7 billion was spent on obesity problems in the

United States.

" An increase in the prevalence of obesity increases the

healthcare costs, " Anne Wolf of the University of Virginia School

of Medicine said.

" As age increases so do healthcare costs for obesity. "

Obesity, which is a risk factor for chronic diseases like diabetes, is

calculated using the body mass index (BMI) -- dividing weight in

kilograms by height in meters squared.

A BMI of more than 30 is considered obese, more than 40 is very

severe.

The costs of dealing with the consequences of obesity rise along with

the severity of the disorder. Being overweight or obese increases the

odds of suffering from diabetes, cardiovascular disease and

osteoarthritis which are the major reasons for obesity healthcare

costs.

" Each unit increase in BMI is associated with a 2.3 percent cost

increase, " said Wolf.

Although most of the cost analysis for obesity has been done in the

United States, where about 30 percent of adults are obese, Wolf said

the figures would be comparable for other western countries with

rising rates of obesity.

An estimated 10-20 percent of men and 10-25 percent of women in

European countries are obese.

Along with hefty health costs, obesity is also associated with a

greater loss of productivity and increased rates of disability.

Studies in the United States have shown that about 6 percent of people

with a healthy weight are unable to work but the figure rises to 10

percent or more among the obese.

Much of the healthcare spending on obesity-related problems is due to

prescription drug costs and more hospital stays.

Obese patients are more likely to require medication for diabetes,

cardiovascular disease, pain relief, asthma and other illnesses than

people with a normal weight, according to Wolf.

Despite the health and economic consequences of obesity, which affects

more than 300 million people worldwide including a growing number of

children and adolescents, health experts believe it is one of the most

neglected public health issues.

" It is a very serious

problem, " said Wolf. " The excess costs of obesity are

present in all ages. "

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___________________________________________________________________________

T. Jewell, PhD

Assoc. Mass Spectrometry Specialist

Molecular Structure Facility

One Shields Ave

, CA 95616

msf.ucdavis.edu

____________________________________________________________________________