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Sin City was named America's Fattest City, an annual dubious honor Men's Fitness magazine bestows upon the nation's most overweight city. On the flip side, Colorado Springs earned the title of America's Fittest City in the issue, which hits newsstands today.

Though Las Vegas, the land of excess and endless buffets, finds itself atop the fattest list for the second straight year, the proud state of Texas also has been shamed: It has six cities on the list of the top 10 fattest.

With two-thirds of adult Americans overweight or obese, all cities — not just the ones named in the list — face the challenge of keeping fit, says John Foreyt, an obesity expert at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, which placed 10th on the fattest list.

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http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-02-10-fattest-fittest-cities_N.htm?csp=15

America's Most Obese Cities
Rebecca Ruiz 11.26.07, 6:00 PM ET

We are heavier than ever.

Once considered an affliction of the lazy and indulgent, obesity now affects about one-third of Americans. The epidemic has swept up the wealthy, middle class and the poor; city dwellers, suburbanites and those in rural areas; and people of all races and ethnicities.

The causes, researchers say, are numerous. These include a diet of calorie-dense but nutrient-deficient food found in grocery and convenience stores, public planning strategies that favor motorists over walkers and cyclists, and simply bad habits.

In Pictures: America's 20 Most Obese Cities

And while the causes are many, the costs are enormous. Obesity's associated costs add $93 billion to the nation's medical bill annually. Each year, 112,000 people die from obesity-related causes, and the condition is responsible for an increased risk of chronic diseases like Type 2 diabetes, cancer and heart disease.

To better understand the local and state implications of the obesity epidemic, we ranked the nation's heaviest cities. In doing so, we discovered states with multiple offenders, metropolitan areas with expanding waistlines and a high representation of Southern cities. Worse yet, after claiming the title of the most sedentary city, Memphis, Tenn., has also ranked first as the country's most obese.

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http://www.forbes.com/2007/11/14/health-obesity-cities-forbeslife-cx_rr_1114obese_print.html

16/10/07 - Health section

Obesity is more dangerous than smoking and will dramatically shorten the lives of millions, a landmark study has found.

While smoking reduces life by an average of ten years, the research says being seriously overweight can cut life expectancy by as much as 13 years.

The Foresight report, written by 250 leading scientists, says Britain's obesity crisis is so severe that it would take at least 30 years to reverse.  

If current trends continue, by 2050 about 60 per cent of men, 50 per cent of women and 25 per cent of children in the UK will be clinically obese - so fat that their health is in danger. At present around a quarter of adults are obese.

 The effects of this on the nation's health will be devastating. The report expects type 2 diabetes to rise by 70 per cent, strokes to go up by 30 per cent and a 20 per cent rise in coronary disease.

The rates of certain cancers will also go up.

The associated chronic health problems will cost an extra £45.5billion a year, more than half the amount of money that goes into the entire NHS at the moment.

The Foresight study warns that the majority of adults are already overweight and that being overweight is now seen as "normal".

But modern life - with the easy availability of cheap unhealthy food and families relying on their cars - means it is almost impossible for many to avoid putting on weight.

Indeed, it is becoming inevitable for most because our biological instincts combined with our modern environment mean we are "destined" to pile on the pounds.

Lead author Professor David King, the Government's chief scientific adviser, said: "We must fight the notion that the current obesity epidemic arises from individual over-indulgence or laziness alone. 

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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/health/healthmain.html?in_article_id=488004&in_page_id=1774&ct=5