Baby boomers now make up 26% of the U.S. population. A fragile, dependent population of aging boomers would place tremendous demands on Medicare, and require lots of support from professional caregivers and the boomers' own children.

Widespread obesity among boomers, combined with lack of exercise, could lead to an epidemic of diabetes, which dramatically accelerates aging and leads to a host of chronic diseases. The number of obese Americans 55-64 has jumped from 31% (1988-1994) to 39% (1999-2002), according to Health, United States, 2005, issued by the Department of Health and Human Services.

Half of Americans aged 55-64 have high blood pressure, a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke, according to a new annual report on health in the United States issued today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC). Omentum reduction and exercise would have a very positive effect on these conditions.

The report concludes that 40 percent of people in that age bracket are obese. "Controlling high blood pressure and obesity is crucial for health, and particularly for baby boomers as they grow older," said Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt. "It's time to act against both conditions so more Americans can live longer, healthier lives."

Paul Campos, author of The Obesity Myth: Why America's Obsession with Weight Is Hazardous to Your Health, is among the most vocal critics of the CDC. Campos and others sounded the alarm over bad science, and his book was prominently featured in a recent Scientific American cover article.

Campos believes that the efforts to portray fat as unhealthy and unacceptable are driven by junk science, hatred of fat people, and a profit-hungry dieting industry. Campos charges that "almost everything the government and the media [are] saying about weight and weight control [is] either grossly distorted or flatly untrue," and he even calls former Surgeon General David Satcher "unhinged" in his efforts to curb America's obesity.

Thin bodies are undeniably present in entertainment media, but Campos cites very thin actresses Kate Moss and Calista Flockhart as being the "cultural ideal." He offers no support for this claim and seems unaware that both Moss and Flockhart were continually and harshly criticized for their thin bodies.

Mr. Campos has obviously found that when you tell people what they want to hear they will buy your book and love you. However, that is doing nothing for the denial that all obese people have to overcome before they can make the positive changes needed to improve their health. Shame on you Mr. Campos. I hope you enjoy your newly found fortune and fame.

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