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                                                                      [National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
                                                                      (NHLBI)](http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/index.htm)

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|       |   EMBARGOED FOR                         CONTACT:\            |
|       |   RELEAS                                                     |
|       | E\                              NHLBI Communications Office\ |
|       |   Monday, October                       (301) 496-4236\      |
|       |   3, 2005\                                                   |
|       |                   [E-mail](mailto:nhlbi_news@nhlbi.nih.gov): |
|       |   5:                                                         |
|       | 00 pm Eastern                       nhlbi_news@nhlbi.nih.gov |
|       |   Time                                                       |
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|       | | **VAST MAJORITY OF ADULTS AT RISK OF BECOMING           |  |
|       | | OVERWEIGHT OR OBESE\                                    |  |
|       | | Future burden of obesity-related conditions likely to   |  |
|       | | be substantial, warn researchers**                      |  |
|       | |                                                         |  |
|       | | A large, community-based study -- considered the first  |  |
|       | | study to assess the long-term risk of developing        |  |
|       | | overweight and obesity in adults -- found that over 30  |  |
|       | | years, nine out of 10 men and seven out of 10 women     |  |
|       | | were overweight or became overweight. In addition, more |  |
|       | | than one in three were obese or became obese. The study |  |
|       | | was supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood    |  |
|       | | Institute (NHLBI), one of the National Institutes of    |  |
|       | | Health (NIH).                                           |  |
|       | |                                                         |  |
|       | | Researchers analyzed the short-term and long-term       |  |
|       | | chances of developing overweight and obesity among more |  |
|       | | than 4,000 white adults enrolled in the offspring       |  |
|       | | cohort of NHLBI\'s landmark Framingham Heart Study, an  |  |
|       | | ongoing longitudinal study in Framingham,               |  |
|       | | Massachusetts. Participants ages 30 to 59 were followed |  |
|       | | for 30 years, from 1971 to 2001. The results appear in  |  |
|       | | the October 4, 2005, issue of the Annals of Internal    |  |
|       | | Medicine.                                               |  |
|       | |                                                         |  |
|       | | "National surveys and other studies have told us that   |  |
|       | | the United States has a major weight problem, but this  |  |
|       | | study suggests that we could have an even more serious  |  |
|       | | degree of overweight and obesity over the next few      |  |
|       | | decades," said NHLBI Director Elizabeth G. Nabel, M.D., |  |
|       | | who also co-chairs the NIH Obesity Research Task Force. |  |
|       | | "In addition, these results may underestimate the risk  |  |
|       | | for some ethnic groups."                                |  |
|       | |                                                         |  |
|       | | Framingham participants were white, and other studies   |  |
|       | | have shown, for example, that Hispanic and black        |  |
|       | | individuals, especially women, have a greater           |  |
|       | | prevalence of excess weight compared to their white     |  |
|       | | counterparts.                                           |  |
|       | |                                                         |  |
|       | | According to the National Center for Health Statistics, |  |
|       | | part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, |  |
|       | | 65 percent of U.S. adults aged 20 years and older are   |  |
|       | | either overweight or obese, and approximately 30        |  |
|       | | percent of adults are obese. These estimates are from   |  |
|       | | the 1999-2002 National Health and Nutrition Examination |  |
|       | | Survey, a population-based survey.                      |  |
|       | |                                                         |  |
|       | | Framingham researchers assessed the participants' body  |  |
|       | | mass index (BMI) -- a standard measure of weight        |  |
|       | | relative to height, which is an indicator of total body |  |
|       | | fat. A BMI of 18.5 to 24.9 kg/m2 is considered a        |  |
|       | | normal, or healthy, weight for adults. Overweight is a  |  |
|       | | BMI of 25 to 29.9 kg/m2, and obesity is a BMI of 30     |  |
|       | | kg/m2 or higher.                                        |  |
|       | |                                                         |  |
|       | | Making it to middle age without extra pounds was no     |  |
|       | | guarantee for staying at a healthy weight -- even in    |  |
|       | | the short term. About one in five women and one in four |  |
|       | | men who were at a healthy BMI at a routine Framingham   |  |
|       | | study examination became overweight after four years.   |  |
|       | | Among those who were overweight, 16 to 23 percent of    |  |
|       | | women and 12 to 13 percent of men became obese within   |  |
|       | | four years.                                             |  |
|       | |                                                         |  |
|       | | "Our results, although not surprising, are worrisome,"  |  |
|       | | comments Ramachandran Vasan, M.D., Associate Professor  |  |
|       | | of Medicine at Boston University School of Medicine and |  |
|       | | lead author of the study. "If the trend continues, our  |  |
|       | | country will continue to face substantial health        |  |
|       | | problems related to excess weight."                     |  |
|       | |                                                         |  |
|       | | "Overweight and obesity increase the risk of poor       |  |
|       | | health. We hope these results will serve as a wake-up   |  |
|       | | call to Americans of all ages," adds Nabel. "Even those |  |
|       | | who are now at a healthy weight need to be careful      |  |
|       | | about maintaining energy balance to avoid gaining       |  |
|       | | weight. Taking simple steps to make sure that the       |  |
|       | | overall the number of calories you consume do not       |  |
|       | | exceed the amount you burn can play a major role in     |  |
|       | | lowering your risk for many chronic conditions."        |  |
|       | |                                                         |  |
|       | | Overweight increases the likelihood of developing       |  |
|       | | diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease,        |  |
|       | | stroke, breathing problems such as asthma and sleep     |  |
|       | | apnea, some cancers, osteoarthritis, and gall bladder   |  |
|       | | disease. Obesity is associated with these conditions as |  |
|       | | well as with early death. Research has shown that even  |  |
|       | | a small weight loss (just 10 percent of body weight)    |  |
|       | | can help people who are overweight or obese lower their |  |
|       | | risk of developing many of these conditions.            |  |
|       | |                                                         |  |
|       | | The Clinical Guidelines on the Identification,          |  |
|       | | Evaluation, and Treatment of Overweight and Obesity in  |  |
|       | | Adults recommend that both people who are overweight as |  |
|       | | well as those who are at a healthy weight prevent       |  |
|       | | weight gain. The guidelines are available online at     |  |
|       | | <ht                                                     |  |
|       | | tp://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/obesity/ob_home.htm>. |  |
|       | |                                                         |  |
|       | | Strategies that promote a healthy weight beginning in   |  |
|       | | childhood are critical. For information on ***We        |  |
|       | | Can!***, NIH's national education program to enhance    |  |
|       | | children's activity and nutrition to prevent childhood  |  |
|       | | obesity, visit the website at                           |  |
|       | | http://wecan.nhlbi.nih.gov or call toll-free            |  |
|       | | 866-35-WECAN.                                           |  |
|       | |                                                         |  |
|       | | For help assessing obesity risk and advice on how to    |  |
|       | | lose weight, consult your healthcare professional.      |  |
|       | |                                                         |  |
|       | | Resources:                                              |  |
|       | |                                                         |  |
|       | | -   [Body Mass Index                                    |  |
|       | |     Ca                                                  |  |
|       | | lculator](http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/bmicalc.htm): |  |
|       | |     http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/bmicalc.htm.        |  |
|       | |                                                         |  |
|       | | -   [Aim for a Healthy                                  |  |
|       | |     Weight](http://www.nhlbi.ni                         |  |
|       | | h.gov/health/public/heart/obesity/lose_wt/patmats.htm): |  |
|       | |     http://www.nhlbi.                                   |  |
|       | | nih.gov/health/public/heart/obesity/lose_wt/patmats.htm |  |
|       | |                                                         |  |
|       | | -   [Portion                                            |  |
|       | |     Distortion](http://hin.nhlbi.nih.gov/portion):      |  |
|       | |     http://hin.nhlbi.nih.gov/portion                    |  |
|       | |                                                         |  |
|       | | -   [We Can! Families Finding the Balance -- A Parent   |  |
|       | |     Handbook (in English or                             |  |
|       | |     Spanish)](http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/he               |  |
|       | | alth/public/heart/obesity/wecan_mats/parent_hb_en.htm): |  |
|       | |     http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/                           |  |
|       | | health/public/heart/obesity/wecan_mats/parent_hb_en.htm |  |
|       | |                                                         |  |
|       | | -   [Dietary Guidelines for Americans                   |  |
|       | |     2                                                   |  |
|       | | 005:](http://www.usda.gov/cnpp/dietary_guidelines.html) |  |
|       | |     http://www.usda.gov/cnpp/dietary_guidelines.html    |  |
|       | |                                                         |  |
|       | | To interview a scientist about this study, contact the  |  |
|       | | NHLBI Communications Office at (301) 496-4236.          |  |
|       | |                                                         |  |
|       | | *NHLBI is part of the National Institutes of Health     |  |
|       | | (NIH), the Federal Government's primary agency for      |  |
|       | | biomedical and behavioral research. NIH is a component  |  |
|       | | of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.    |  |
|       | | NHLBI press releases and other materials including      |  |
|       | | information about obesity prevention and weight loss    |  |
|       | | are available online at                                 |  |
|       | | [www.nhlbi.nih.gov](http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/).*        |  |
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