America's Obesity Crisis:Evolution: How We Grew So Big

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This doesn't necessarily mean we're doomed. There's no doubt that the obesity epidemic is real and our collective health has been getting progressively worse. Indeed, says Yale public-health expert Dr. David Katz, "today's kids may be the first generation in history whose life expectancy is projected to be less than that of their parents."

But the following pages will make it clear that there's plenty of reason for hope. Researchers are hard at work trying to understand the basic biochemistry of hunger and fat metabolism; policymakers are pushing for better labels and nutritional information; school boards are giving their cafeteria menus a closer look and reconsidering vending-machine contracts with makers of sugary soft drinks; urban planners are rethinking our cities and towns to get us out of the car and onto our feet; Americans in record numbers are putting themselves on low-carb and low-calorie diets; and more and more foodmakers are beginning to see increased awareness of the obesity epidemic not as a threat but as a business opportunity. It's too soon to tell if it's working, but there's at least one hopeful sign. For the first three quarters of 2003, there was no increase in obesity among adult Americans, according to preliminary data from the National Health Interview Survey.

Campaigns against smoking and drunk driving have raised the national consciousness about these public-health issues dramatically. There's no reason to think an anti-obesity campaign can't do so as well--as long as everyone involved acknowledges that the problem is real and that solving it will be as hard as anything we've ever done. After all, it's not easy to fight millions of years of evolution. --Reported by David Bjerklie/New York