There are many overweight people in the U.S. There aren’t enough healthy places to eat. According to the U.S. Surgeon General, an estimated 300,000 U.S. deaths are related to obesity each year. Sixty-one percent of adults in the United States were overweight or obese in 1999. Thirteen percent of children aged six to 11 years and 14 percent of adolescents aged 12 to 19 years were overweight in 1999.

The increases in overweight and obesity cut across all ages, racial and ethnic groups and both genders. Overweight and obesity are associated with heart disease, certain types of cancer, Type II diabetes, stroke, arthritis, breathing problems and psychological disorders, such as depression. The economic cost of obesity in the United States was about $117 billion in 2000. In the United States, obesity has raised at a very fast rate during the past 20 years.

Experts agree that the best way to lose weight is to eat healthy foods and exercise regularly. I think you should keep informing people of the health risks of obesity.

Eric Gauthier, Auburn