According to The Centers for Disease Control, obesity among Americans is now an epidemic. In 1999, 61% of Americans were either overweight or obese. And the numbers are on the rise. The health consequences are staggering: high blood pressure, hypertension, high blood cholesterol, non-insulin dependent diabetes, insulin resistance, glucose intolerance, coronary heart disease, congestive heart failure, stroke, gallstones, gout, osteoarthritis, obstructive sleep apnea and respiratory problems. Obesity is linked to some types of cancer such as endometrial, breast, prostate, and colon. It's also linked to pregnancy complications and psychological disorders such as depression, eating disorders, distorted body image, and low self esteem. Poor nutrition and physical inactivity account for some 300,000 premature deaths in the United States each year. The cost of obesity in the U.S. every year is more than $117 billion.

Listen Tuesday, November 18th, at 7 p.m. as experts discuss this crisis and take your questions during a live one hour call-in program.

Listen to the story Sam Hendren, producer
Listen to the lecture Dr. James L. Early, KU School of Medicine-Wichita
Listen to the call-in Sam Hendren is joined by Dr. Early, and first asked him about the relationship between food and obesity.

Web Resources for further information
Transom.org: My Struggle with Obesity

Sound Partners for Community Health is a program of the Benton Foundation. Support for this website was provided by a grant from The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.