In the past 20 years, obesity rates have shot up in adults, teens, and children. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than half of all adults are overweight or obese, and the rates of obesity in children and teens have doubled since the late 1970s. Obesity increases the risk of diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and other health problems. Each year obesity causes tens or even hundreds of thousands of premature deaths and costs the public tens of billions of dollars. And too many popular weight-loss programs do not disclose data on how much weight their customers lose and keep off.
Most plans provide limited scientific research on the safety and effectiveness of their plan.
It is unlikely that such research will ever be funded privately. Therefore, the ideal solution would be for the government to take on that responsibility. What we have now is mostly advertising hyperbole and anecdote. The research should determine which diets work best for losing weight and keeping it off, and what risks may be associated with various diets. Considering obesity's costs, in terms of both health and dollars, a modest investment in research could have an enormous pay-off.