Obesity Research—Limitations of Methods, Measurements, and Medications

Obesity is one of the most important public health problems today. An estimated 65% of US adults are overweight or obese,¹ with 112 000 to 280 000 annual deaths attributable to obesity.^2,3 If trends continue, obesity-related deaths may lead to cessation of the increases seen in life expectancy and perhaps to reduced life expectancy in the future,⁴ and obesity will contribute even more adversely to the population's well-being and health care costs in the United States.⁵