The next tobacco

Several years ago the Wall Street Journal ran one of its scare headlines: Is Food the Next Tobacco? The article reflected food and beverage makers' concern that they are going to be liable to the same kind of consumer wrongful damage legal action cases that cost tobacco companies millions in fines and settlements over the last years.

The warning to the food merchants was timely: obesity has resulted in more than 300,000 deaths and some $117 billion in healthcare costs since 2002; some 145 percent of teenagers and 13 percent of children are overweight; and obesity is associated with an average increase in hospital and outpatient spending of $395 per obese patient.

So now it may be time to take the question mark off that "Is Food the Next Tobacco?" One sign that big business is taking the weight issue seriously is the news that a large group of biggies-including Ford Motors, General Mills and PepsiCo-have announced a campaign to encourage overweight workers to slim down and get healthy. As the director of Ford's health care program said, obesity is becoming as large a problem as tobacco once was.

Where does all this leave the bodybuilders and health and fitness center people? Moving into the spotlight, one can safely predict-for which group of Americans knows more about weight control and how to maintain it along with a healthy life style. If playing role model in this coming national campaign against overweight is not your style, best start getting use to it-looking around you might notice there isn't anyone else quite up to the part.

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