A-Z Guide to the Year in Medicine

(11 of 20)

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CHINA PHOTOS / GETTY

OBESITY The obesity epidemic and its attendant health risks continued to spread around the world. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that the number of adults who are overweight or obese passed the 1 billion mark in 2005. Although obesity rates have grown threefold or more since 1980 in some parts of the U.S., Britain, Eastern Europe, the Middle East and the Western Pacific Islands, some of the most rapid increases are found in developing countries. The cause is the same everywhere: increased consumption of energy-dense, nutrient-poor food high in saturated fats and sugar, combined with a decrease in physical exercise. The rise in childhood obesity is especially troubling. The WHO estimated that 22 million children are overweight worldwide, including places like Thailand, where rates of obesity in children ages 5 to 12 rose from 12.2% to 15.6% in the space of two years. Meanwhile, a large U.S. study of the long-term risks of developing obesity suggested that there is more bad news to come. The 30-year study tracked 4,000 white Americans and found that 9 out of 10 men and 7 out of 10 women were overweight or became overweight. In addition, more than 1 out of 3 was obese or became obese. There was some good news: a drug called rimonabant showed promise when used in combination with a restricted-calorie diet. But it's going to take more than a pill or a diet plan to reverse the long-term trends.