Should obsity be considered an epidemic?

Should obesity be considered an epidemic disease? The issue of whether the term 'obesity' ought to be categorized as an epidemic disease has been prompting ardent and every now and then heated discussions. The inquiry "has it been a critical predicament over the past 50 or so years since the initiation of the so-called industrialized world" even more so. Some would justify themselves by rightly implying that obesity is a medical condition (being "obese") bearing a …

…lt;Tab/>Premature deaths are 40 percent more likely to occur in people who are obese than people who are not. ü<Tab/>Almost two-thirds of diagnosed cases of cardiovascular disease occur in overweight individuals. http://womenshealth.about.com/library/weekly/aa092500a.htm http://www.obesity.org/education/what.shtml http://www.ncpa.org/iss/hea/2002/pd092602e.html http://www.wgrz.com/storyfull-2day.asp?id=17422