The Perils of Obesity in Middle-Aged Women

In the past, epidemiologic surveys concerned with the relation of body build to health and longevity have tended to underestimate the long-term adverse effects of excess body weight.1 Consequently, the hazards of obesity have not been taken seriously enough by many physicians. Now, as a result of the prospective study of obesity and the risk of coronary heart disease in this issue of the Journal,2 any remaining confidence that some degree of obesity in women is safe is likely to be replaced by deep concern. In their somber report, Manson et al. point out that in 115,886 American women . . .