|
|
Overweight
and Obesity
Obesity Trends
Prevalence among U.S. Adults of a Metabolic Syndrome Associated
with Obesity
Findings from the Third NHANES Survey
In an article appearing in the January 16, 2002, issue of the Journal
of the American Medical Association, researchers at the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated that as many as 47 million
Americans may exhibit a cluster of medical conditions (a "metabolic
syndrome") characterized by insulin resistance and the presence of
obesity, abdominal fat, high blood sugar and triglycerides, high blood
cholesterol, and high blood pressure. The syndrome was first defined in
the Third Report of the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP)
Expert Panel on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood
Cholesterol in Adults (ATPIII), released on May 15, 2001. Because the root
causes of the metabolic syndrome for a majority of individuals may be poor
diet and insufficient physical activity, the high prevalence of the
syndrome underscores an urgent need to develop comprehensive efforts
directed at controlling the U.S. obesity epidemic and improving physical
activity levels within the U.S. population.
[Return to Obesity Trends]
|
|
