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Abstract
Americans are increasingly overweight, with the number of obese adults and overweight
children doubling between the late 1970s and early 2000s. Several studies of the health consequences
of Americans’ weight gain indicate that health care costs and the number of premature
deaths associated with obesity and overweight are high. A recent (lower) estimate of
the number of premature deaths published in the Journal of the American Medical
Association reveals the uncertainty researchers face in associating weight status with mortality.
Of course, scientific uncertainty does not mute demands for public action.