According to the AMERICAN JOURNAL OF ROENTGENOLOGY
obesity may be responsible for accelerated development of a particular
colon condition more often found in older patients - who also happen to
be abdominally obese.  The condition is called Acute diverticulitis, a
disease of the colon associated with allow-fiber diet, normally is only
seen in patients older than 50, but is becoming more frequently seen in
younger patients.

This is pertinent in and of itself, but combined with a number of
other findings it is clear that Obesity should be the next major health
initiative.  When the UN finds that globally there are more overweight people than malnourished people, and that many impoverished children are obese it
is clear that we are approaching a precipice of a health disaster. In
the face of such a challenge agencies and governments worldwide should
be gin to address the situation head on before the fall out from an
obese species paralyzes the global economy with health care costs and
lost productivity.

This months Wired
has an article on the cover - ‘The Thin Pill’. Living through chemistry
may be the next evolution of man. The scientific and pharmaceutical
communities are rushing to create therapies to save us from ourselves.
I’d very much like to see some discussion in the comments regarding
community mobilizing actions that may help avert this crisis.

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