Temporary blip in the evolutionary process...

90%? Yipe. This is obviously a very disturbing trend, but it's certainly not the 'shape' of things to come. Human physiology is still meant to eat nuts and berries and made to move. Obesity is directly linked to our oil-consuming society and car culture which immobilizes us and makes us ridiculously lazy. Once this mess is cleaned up or at least realized, this trend will end. It's unfortunate for those who are already caught in the trap -- they will be the ones who have to endure the problems associated with obesity for a lifetime.

Most Americans risk obesity
Last Updated Mon, 03 Oct 2005 21:42:34 EDT
CBC News
U.S. researchers said Monday unless something drastic changes, 90 per cent of American men and 70 per cent of American women will eventually become overweight.

The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, which paid for the study, said the older they get, the more likely Americans are to put on the extra pounds that take them out of the healthy weight class and make them overweight or obese.

"National surveys and other studies have told us that the U.S. has a major weight problem, but this study suggests that we could have an even more serious degress of overweight and obesity over the next few decades," said Dr. Elizabeth Nabel, director of the institute.

The report which was published in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that over 30 years, nine out of ten men and seven out of ten women taking part in the Massachussetts-based study became or stayed overweight. More than a third were obese or became obese.

Dr. Ramachandran Vasan who led the study at the Boston University School of Medicine said the results are worrisome. "If the trend continues, our country will continue to face substantial health problems related to excess weight," he said.

Nabel said she hopes the study will serve as a wakeup call to Americans of all ages. "Taking simple steps to make sure that overall the number of calories you consume do not exceed the amount you burn can play a major role in lowering your risk for many chronic condititions.