Obesity is becoming a worldwide epidemic in terms of how many new cases are being seen each day. It seems that it may even overtake smoking as the leading health risk.
 

 
In the United States, two in three adults are either overweight or obese. And men and women are almost evenly divided in this population, putting their health at risk with the extra five to ten pounds. In the last twenty years, cases of obesity have tripled and continue to rise each year.

Obesity is becoming a problem for children too. In the last decade, cases have doubled in six-year-olds and tripled among adolescents.
 

The rise in obesity and overweight cases is cause for alarm as even a small increase in weight can lead to health problems. Conditions like diabetes, heart disease, stroke, some cancers, back and joint pain, osteoarthritis, high blood pressure, gallstones, infertility, shortness of breath, depression, snoring, difficulty sleeping and excessive sweating are all turning up in children now as well as adults.
 

Obesity is not just a cosmetic issue anymore. Carrying around extra weight can puts your health at risk. A report from the National Audit Office revealed how obesity can reduce your lifespan by nine years.
 

International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) in May 2004 found that both England and Scotland have high levels of obesity in terms of European countries – so the problem is not limited to the U.S. While the UK isn’t quite at the same level as the U.S., this traditionally slim country is starting to see a national trend that seems to indicate similar figures by 2010.
 

Obesity is even spreading to developing countries where access to processed foods as well as less active lifstyles is starting to take their toll.
 

The increase in obese cases is not only affecting people’s well being and health, but also starting to affect the resources of the United States. And this is why action needs to be taken and why everyone should begin to find a way to contribute to what is the U.S.’s greatest health problem of the time.
 

The chart below shows the percentage figures of obese men and women in various countries around the world (source: IOTF). These figures are constantly updated, so this data is meant only as a guide.