Obesity affects far more than just appearance -- it can impair the functioning of the skeleton, skin, gastrointestinal system, respiratory system, and even reproductive system. That's the message of experts from the American Council on Science and Health (ACSH) seen in a three-minute video based on a recent ACSH report on the wide-ranging effects of obesity.
That report, Obesity and Its Health Effects, recently made available online, is also now available in hardcopy.
Chapter by chapter, each reviewed by an expert in the pertinent medical field, the publication describes how obesity impairs the function of virtually every body system.
In his preface, Dr. Daniel T. Stein of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine observes, "deaths due to heart attacks, stroke, and cancer, which have rapidly declined in the past, are now leveling off and in some cases increasing due to obesity-related conditions."
Dr. Gilbert Ross, ACSH medical director (seen in the ACSH video along with Dr. Elizabeth Whelan, Dr. Ruth Kava, and ACSH associate director Jeff Stier), notes: "Most people probably have no idea how wide-ranging the health effects of obesity can be. The increased risk of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases are most widely appreciated, but many of the other effects are known only to medical professionals."
The American Council on Science and Health is an independent, non-profit consumer education organization concerned with issues related to food, nutrition, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, lifestyle, the environment, and health. ACSH, directed and advised by a consortium of over 350 physicians and scientists, urges Americans to focus their efforts on things that matter -- such as maintaining a healthy body weight and not smoking -- rather than the countless pieces of nonsensical or trivial health advice that fill the news.
Contact:
Dr. Ruth Kava, Nutrition Director: 212-362-7044 and KavaR@acsh.org
Dr. Gilbert Ross, Medical Director: 212-362-7044 and RossG@acsh.org
Dr. Elizabeth Whelan, President: 212-362-7044 and WhelanE@acsh.org