Rise of a Fat Nation Slows a Little

Encouraging news from the government: We're not getting fat as quickly. As a nation, the rapid increase in obesity appears to have subsided in recent years.

But before you reach for that next doughnut, consider this: Almost 70 percent of adult Americans are overweight. In 2007-08, more than a third of Americans were obese, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

And it's not like the government researchers are high-fiving each other after scrutinizing the data.What the latest study says is that the rate of growth wasn't as high over the past decade, compared with rapid increases in the '70s and '80s.

"The prevention and treatment of overweight and obesity on a population-wide basis are challenging," the researchers write, acknowledging the public health problems.

Obesity leads to multiple health conditions, including heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke and is even linked to some types of cancer.

The solution from leading pharmaceutical companies like Pfizer Inc. and Merck & Co. has been to develop drugs that treat these diseases.

But at least three small drug companies are racing to get their weight-loss pills approved by the government: Vivus Inc., Arena Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Orexigen Therapeutics Inc.

Without getting too specific, the government folks suggest a public health approach to obesity, encouraging more physical activity and healthier eating. Therein lies the challenge.

While New York City has passed laws to encourage better eating (restaurants must post menus with calorie counts and trans fat is banned), these efforts are met with stiff resistance from the food industry.