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WEEKLY NEWS 1: The Cost of American Obesity

This week, medical and economic researchers announced that obese Americans cost taxpayers tens of billions of dollars last year, according to a report in the journal Obesity Research.

A person is considered obese if they weigh at least 30 pounds more than their healthy weight. Obesity can cause or contribute to several kinds of health problems, including diabetes, joint injuries, high blood pressure, and even some kinds of cancer. Doctors have long warned that carrying extra weight is a danger to your health, and now can say it is also a danger to the wallet.

The estimate of the cost of American obesity comes from economists' calculations of the amount of money spent on treating obesity-related health problems. The total amount America spent on such health problems in 2003 was about $75 billion dollars. Taxpayers covered more than half that--$39 billion--since tax dollars pay for public health programs like Medicaid and Medicare.

If the rate of obesity continues to grow, experts warn that the amount we spend on it will grow as well. Currently, almost two-thirds of Americans are at least a little bit overweight.

--Written by Nia Williams

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