ABSTRACT
Obesity has reached epidemic proportions worldwide.
Recent World Health Organization (WHO) projections
estimate that globally in 2005 approximately 1.6 billion
adults older than 15 years were overweight and at least
400 million adults were obese (1). The WHO also under-
lines that this pandemic, once considered a problem only
in high-income countries, is now dramatically on the rise
in low-and middle-income countries, particularly in urban
settings (1). In the United States, the latest National
Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES;
2003-2004) data demonstrate that two-thirds of the adult
population have a body mass index (BMI) of 25 kg/m2 or
higher and 32.2% are obese (BMI > 30 kg/m2) (2). The health risks related to overweight and obesity may
be defined by BMI, but increasing importance has been
given to the central fat accumulation. Waist circumference
(WC) has dramatically risen in the American population
over the past decades. In men, the mean WC went from 89
cm in 1960 to 99 cm in 2000, while in women, mean WC
went from 77 to 94 cm during the same period (3).
