Wang noted that everyone has a responsibility regarding the issue, including individuals, communities, and government. She stated, “We hope we can work together to change the trend…. We need to change the environment so that we’re able to make easy decisions that happen to be the best decisions - the healthiest decisions.”

Such changes include lowering the cost of healthy foods, while increasing the cost of those that are less healthy. The report pointed out that this measure could largely be accomplished via tax strategies. Modifying the methods by which foods are marketed would also be called for.

Amazingly, just a little effort at weight loss can go a long way. According to the report, if the U.S. population would just collectively lose about two pounds, more than 2 million cases of diabetes could be prevented, along with about 1.5 million cases of heart disease and stroke, and 73,000 to 127,000 cancer cases. For the population of the U.K., a 1.9 pound weight loss would result in a reduction of between 179,000 and 202,000 diabetes cases, 120,000 cases of heart disease and stroke, and 32,000 cancer cases.

Individuals who reduce their calorie intake by 500 calories a day can generally lose weight at a slow but steady pace of about one pound per week.

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by Ren Trippel