The Raw Story - US obesity rates grew 37 percent between 1998 and 2006, pushing obesity-related spending up another 40 billion dollars a year, according to the study published by Health Affairs. "The medical costs attributable to obesity are almost entirely a result of costs generated from treating the diseases that obesity promotes," said lead author Eric Finkelstein, who heads RTI International's Public Health Economic Program. "Obesity will continue to impose a significant burden on the healthcare system as long as obesity prevalence remains high."

The bulk of obesity spending, the researchers said, is not devoted to treatments such as bariatric surgery, but rather to treating obesity-linked diseases. Excess weight, they noted, is the best predictor of developing diabetes, which costs 191 billion dollars each year.  Read more.