Experts’ comments on America's obesity epidemic

TOPIC: As a recent Newsweek article states, "it's hardly clear that there actually is an obesity epidemic, or that fat people are at greater risk of death than people of normal weight, or that weight loss—relentlessly promoted by public-health officials as the solution to America's weight problem—is an attainable goal at all." The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and other institutions tend to use BMI, or body mass index, as a tool to evaluate degree of fatness in the population. (BMI uses an individual's height and weight to calculate a single number.) But Paul Campos, a law professor at the University of Colorado, has coauthored a controversial study questioning the legitimacy of the so-called "obesity epidemic" as based on a flawed tool that fails to take other factors into account; and that there might not really be an obesity epidemic after all. While the CDC and some public health experts point to increasing rates of diabetes as one example of the toll that weight takes on one's health, there have also been studies showing lower mortality rates after surgery and some emergency procedures for patients in the higher BMI categories. Moreover, diet programs tend not to work despite the best efforts of public health experts to promote them; while showing people to live healthfully no matter their size has been more successful.

EXPERTS: ExpertSource can offer several highly qualified experts to comment on this story:

Mrs. Susan Burke March, SusanBurkeMarch.com

Susan, author of "Making Weight Control Second Nature: Living Thin Naturally,” is a registered and licensed dietitian and certified diabetes educator who has influenced the dietary health and well being of consumers worldwide, due in large part to her multi-year and faceted tenure with e-Health leader eDiets.com. As Vice President of Nutrition Services and Chief Nutritionist, she managed the creation and administration of the technology-enabled nutritional and wellness components of eDiets' products, programs and services. With advanced certifications in adult and adolescent and pediatric obesity, Susan has also served as Chief Clinical Nutrition Manager at Mt. Sinai Hospital of Queens, NY. She is a spokesperson for the Florida Dietetic Association and has recently completed a two-year elected position as secretary for the Weight Management Dietetic Practice Group, a professional practice group of the American Dietetic Association, and serves as External Relations Assistant Director. Susan now devotes her efforts to public speaking, counseling individuals, and writing motivational and informative books and articles dedicated to helping people learn how to improve their health and accomplish their weight goals.

Research and Publications: Susan is the author of "Making Weight Control Second Nature: Living Thin Naturally" (Paperback, $26.95, ISBN 9781932421194), eDiets Pocket Guide of Dieting & Weight Loss, eDiets Dining Out Guide, as well a contributing author for the eDiets Weight Loss Solutions magazine and more than 400 nutrition and diet-related articles that have appeared in leading media outlets worldwide.

Mrs. Susan Burke March
[email protected]
Telephone: 858-577-0206

Dr. James Hill, Center for Human Nutrition at the University of Colorado

Jim Hill is an internationally recognized authority on obesity and weight management. He has published more than 250 scientific articles and book chapters on obesity and weight control and his current research focuses on preventing weight gain by modifying diet and physical activity. He is a popular keynote speaker for organizations and companies around the world. As director of the Center for Human Nutrition at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, he spearheaded research that has become the foundation of America On the Move (AOM), a national health initiative created to combat the obesity epidemic and inspire Americans to choose healthy lifestyles. Jim was also president of the North American Association for the Study of Obesity and regional vice president of the International Association for the Study of Obesity. He was a member of the Expert Panel on Obesity for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which developed U.S. guidelines for the treatment and prevention of obesity, as well as a member of the NIH Taskforce on the Prevention and Treatment of Obesity. He received numerous honors and awards for his work, including a MERIT Award from the National Institutes of Health and a Distinguished Partnership Scholar Award from the Partnership for Women's Health. Jim is also the co-founder of the National Weight Control Registry (NWCR), a database which tracks 5,000 people who have sustained significant weight loss for more than five years. The average weight loss in this group is 67 pounds, and participants have kept it off for an average of six years. This is the premier source of scientific information about how to maintain weight loss. Dr. Hill and his colleagues have published numerous articles describing characteristics of successful weight loss maintainers. Jim speaks to groups in the medical and academic communities, as well as corporations, trade organizations and the general public on various health-related topics including obesity, weight control in children and adults and the effects both can have on other diseases such as diabetes. He is an expert in how public and private groups can work together to address obesity.

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