The summary of a workshop cosponsored by the Nutrition Coordinating Committee of the National Institutes of Health and the Center for Disease Control on this topic was recently published.
Obesity is a significant risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
Weight gain after adolescence and duration of obesity were positively and significantly associated with cardiovascular risk in both sexes. Even mild degrees of overweight are associated with a high mortality rate. Elevated mortality from cardiovascular disease in low-weight American men is mainly attributed to cigarette smoking. Since 1975 the American Cancer Society has held four national research conferences on nutrition and cancer.