Obesity does not pay: Lose weight and make more money.

Health care is expensive. It is estimated that health care spending in the United States will reach $2.2 trillion this year. Much of this cost is absorbed by companies.

Obesity places individuals at risk for diabetes, heart disease, organ failure, depression, and many serious health problems. A sick employee also results in lower productivity and higher costs for companies.

Companies are now placing some financial burden onto employees for being fat. According to a recent article on MSNBC.com:

“In 2009 the company will start reducing pay for employees in its health plan by
$10 per paycheck if their BMI — a measurement of body fat through a height and
weight ratio — is in the obese range of more than 29.9. The deduction will be $5
per check if they don’t meet required cholesterol, blood pressure or blood
glucose measurements. Workers will be required to complete an annual health risk
assessment and can appeal to have their fees dropped if they show improvement.”

Reference: Employees starting to pay for poor health

If obese Americans will not lose weight for better health, perhaps they’ll lose weight when it becomes a financial penalty.

Obesity in the news:

Property values signal obesity (Chicago Tribune, United States) - Neighborhood property values predict obesity rates better than education or incomes, according to a study from the University of Washington published online ...

New link between obesity and infertility (Daily Telegraph, Australia - By Tamara McLean) SCIENTISTS have proven the link between obesity and infertility, with tests showing fat mice are more likely to have damaged embryos which ...

Rising gasoline prices could take a bite out of America's obesity ... (News from Washington University in St. Louis, MO) - An additional $1 in real gasoline prices would reduce obesity in the US by 15 percent after three years," suggests Charles Courtemanche, an economics ...

New approach to fighting obesity and diabetes (UQ News, Australia) - UQ researcher Professor Bob Gilbert said that while an unhealthy lifestyle and poor eating habits were significant factors in Australia's obesity and ...

High Blood Pressure Rising Among Children (Washington Post, United States) - This is another piece of evidence suggesting that the obesity epidemic will likely turn into a heart disease epidemic." Previous research had indicated that ...

Health Headlines in the News - Sept 9th, 2007

Health Highlights Two or more alcoholic drinks a day may double the risk of endometrial (uterine) cancer, researchers at the University of Southern California have found.

Brooklyn woman tests positive for West Nile (New York- WABC, September 7, 2007) The New York City Department of Health confirmed the season's first human case of West Nile virus Friday.

China reports leap in new HIV/AIDS cases BEIJING (Reuters) - China reported 18543 new cases of HIV/AIDS in the first half of this year, state media said, near the number for the whole of 2006.

Doctors flunk quiz about supplements their patients use (By Sandra G. Boodman The Washington Post) - It's common knowledge that Americans are taking more dietary supplements than ever.Suspended doctors taint drug trials St. Petersburg Times

Breast Cancer More Deadly in Black Women (The Associated Press) - A new study gives a possible explanation for why breast cancer is more deadly in black women: they are more likely to have tumors that do not respond to the hormone-based treatments that help many others with the disease.

Couple Charged With Illegal Surgeries (The Associated Press) - A couple were arrested after authorities said they performed illegal and disfiguring cosmetic surgeries in their filthy home, filled with drugs and syringes.

Discuss these articles in the Medrounds Forums.

Medical News - June 24, 2007

West Nile virus could hit area hard this summer

Seattle Times - Jun 22, 2007

By Warren King

As dusk falls over the wetlands that border a huge park-and-ride lot in Kenmore, the crows of one of King County's largest roosts assemble once again to put on the nightly show that ends their day.

Va. mental health system found lacking

Houston Chronicle - Jun 22, 2007

By KRISTEN GELINEAU AP Writer

Members of a commission analyzing Virginia's mental health laws on Friday debated whether language dealing with civil commitments is too narrowly worded to force potentially dangerous people ...

Advanced Parkinson's Symptoms Controlled by Gene Therapy

MedPage Today - Jun 21, 2007

By Neil Osterweil, Senior Associate Editor

Motor symptoms of advanced Parkinson's disease were significantly improved in a small investigational gene-therapy trial, according to investigators here.

Americans making progress managing diabetes: study

Reuters - Jun 23, 2007

By Julie Steenhuysen CHICAGO (Reuters)

Americans appear to be doing a better job of managing diabetes, with more than half of diabetics reaching recommended targets for controlling blood sugar last year, according to a survey published on Saturday.

Estrogen May Lower Heart Disease Risk For Some Menopausal Women

Medical News Today - Jun 22, 2007

New results from a follow up study of the US federally funded Women's Health Initiative (WHI) suggest that among women in their 50s who have had hysterectomies, estrogen was associated with a significantly lower risk of coronary artery calcification ...

Drive to curb drug-resistant TB

BBC News - Jun 22, 2007

The World Health Organization has unveiled a two-year plan to combat the spread of drug-resistant tuberculosis. It is hoped the measures will prevent hundreds of thousands of cases of drug-resistant TB - and save as many as 134000 lives world-wide.

Video Game Overuse May Be an Addiction: Experts

Forbes - Jun 22, 2007FRIDAY, June 22 (HealthDay News)

Millions of US children and adults obsessed with video games may suffer from a real addiction, according to a proposal up for debate by top US doctors.

Omega-3 fatty acids may help slow prostate cancer

Xinhua - Jun 21, 2007BEIJING, June 22 (Xinhuanet)

A new study in US with mice suggests that a diet high in omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil and certain types of fish might help slow prostate cancer, media reported Friday.

Discuss these topics in the Medrounds Discussion Forums:

Recent headlines on June 3, 2007

Flaxseed, ginseng show benefit in cancer treatment
Reuters
By Julie Steenhuysen. CHICAGO (Reuters) - Flaxseed slowed the growth of prostate tumors in men, while ginseng helped relieve the fatigue that cancer patients often feel, US researchers reported on Saturday in two of the first scientifically rigorous ...

[Post your experiences with flaxseed and prostate cancer]

[Post your experiences with ginseng and fatigue]

TB patient faces 2 months in hospital
Houston Chronicle - Jun 2, 2007
By COLLEEN SLEVIN AP Writer. © 2007 AP. DENVER - The man quarantined with a dangerous strain of tuberculosis will likely spend up to two months in a hospital while he receives a battery of antibiotics and is evaluated for possible surgery, ...

FDA warns consumers over toothpaste from China
Reuters - Jun 1, 2007
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - US health officials on Friday warned consumers to avoid any toothpaste made in China after inspectors found a poisonous chemical known as DEG in one shipment detained at the border.

Folic Acid May Lower Stroke Risk
WebMD - May 31, 2007
By Salynn Boyles. May 31, 2007 -- Folic acid supplements appear to reduce the risk of stroke, particularly in people who do not get enough of this B vitamin.

Health News March 1, 2007

Vitamins 'increase death risk'
News24 - Cape Town - Some vitamin supplements could do you more harm than good, according to research published on Wednesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

Ice Cream and Whole-Fat Milk Smooth the Way to Conception
MedPage Today - By Judith Groch, Senior Writer, MedPage Today. BOSTON, Feb. 28 -- Eating rich ice cream and drinking whole-fat milk, and using heavy cream for coffee, may help reward women shooting for pregnancy, researchers here reported.


Study: Common Sexually-Transmitted Virus Found in 1 in 4 US Women
Voice of America - By David McAlary. A sexually-transmitted virus that is a leading cause of female cancer deaths in developing countries is also very prevalent in the United States.


African Prostitutes, Gene Defect Spur Pfizer Hunt for AIDS Drug
Bloomberg - By Andrea Gerlin. March 1 (Bloomberg) -- In 1996, scientists solved a mystery surrounding certain gay men who were immune to AIDS.


Peanut Butter Illnesses Rise as FDA Splits Hairs
Consumer Affairs - By Joseph S. Enoch and Mark Huffman. Federal and state health officials claim to be continuing to trace the source of the Salmonella peanut butter infestation that has sickened consumers nationwide.