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The Childhood Obesity Epidemic in the United States

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that the percentage of children who are overweight has more than tripled since 1980 and continues to climb.

As this epidemic grows, the number of related health disorders in children grows with it:

High blood pressure (hypertension)
High blood cholesterol (hypercholesterolemia) and other abnormal concentrations of lipids in the blood (dyslipidemias)
Type 2 diabetes
Coronary heart disease
Stroke
Gallbladder disease
Arthritis caused by the breakdown and eventual loss of joint cartilage (osteoarthritis)
Sleep apnea
Respiratory problems
Liver disease
Some cancers