Rise in obesity may reverse trend of increasing American lifespans

• Explosion Of Child Obesity Predicted To Shorten U.S. Life Expectancy
• It's been assumed that U.S. life expectancy would rise indefinitely, but a new data analysis, published as a special report in the March 17 New England Journal of Medicine, suggests that this trend is about to reverse itself -- due to the rapid rise in obesity, especially among children.
• The researchers based their predictions on data on the prevalence of obesity from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and previously published estimates of years-of-life lost from obesity.
• A reduced life expectancy could have implications for such programs as Social Security and Medicare, they suggest.
• Minority groups are expected to be hardest hit because of their reduced access to health care and especially sharp increases in childhood and adult obesity.
• The long-term consequences of the child obesity epidemic have yet to be seen, says Ludwig, who directs the Optimal Weight for Life (OWL) program at Children's Hospital Boston.
• Obesity is known to increase risk for heart disease and cancer, and the surge in childhood obesity has already triggered an unprecedented rise in type 2 ("adult") diabetes in children.
• Two thirds of American adults today are obese or overweight, and the proportion of people with extreme obesity has risen especially rapidly, the investigators note.
• In the past 40 years, fast food, junk food, and soft drinks have become a prominent part of the landscape.
• Schools have become purveyors of fast food and soft drinks through contracts with the food and beverage industry that help fund school programs -- even as they cut physical education classes from their curricula to save money.
• "This means a fundamental shift in the social environment that will support healthful eating and an active lifestyle.