The impact of obesity on U.S. economic growth

Economists at ING Wholesale have released an in-depth/hard hitting report which attempts to model the link between obesity in the U.S. and the potential impact it might have on economic growth and the financial markets.

The study, considered to be the first of its kind exploring the wider economic implications of obesity, predicts that over the next 50 years the bottom line hit to the U.S. economy could be as much as US$650 billion – equivalent to about 5% of current annual U.S. GDP.

Profile ING

ING is a global financial institution of Dutch origin offering banking, investments, life insurance and retirement services to over 75 million private, corporate and institutional clients in more than 50 countries. With a diverse workforce of about 125,000 people, ING comprises a broad spectrum of prominent companies that increasingly serve their clients under the ING brand.

Profile ING Wholesale Banking

ING Wholesale Banking is one of the six business lines of ING Group and is responsible for providing financial products and services to corporate and institutional clients across Europe, the Americas and Asia. We are a truly international team of more than 18,000 banking professionals with local knowledge and a presence in 40 countries. We provide tailored banking solutions in areas including corporate finance, syndications, structured finance, equity capital markets and financial markets and leasing in addition to the basic banking services of lending, payments & cash management and treasury. The U.S. Natural Resources team was awarded Project Finance 's 2007 North American Oil & Gas Deal of the Year.