As you know, the amount of evidence linking the obesity epidemic to rising mortality rates is growing over the past two years by leaps and bounds. A new study of more than 90,000 women demonstrates how a woman's mortality risks grow as her obesity gets worse.

The difference in mortality rates depends on the number of extra pounds a women carried over the seven-year study. For example, a woman who stands 5-6 and is 60 pounds overweight elevates her chances of death by 12 percent. However, that's the low mark...

Mortality rates soared for morbidly women who weighed 50 pounds more than that -- 110 pounds above their optimal BMI -- by an alarming 86 percent. Overall, death rates nearly doubled, when comparing morbidly obese patients to women with normal BMIs.

Fortunately, you have plenty of free tools on my Web site to control the spread of obesity in your family. Some suggestions to get you started:

• Get moving on an exercise plan today.
• Tackle the emotional issues that have harmed your physical health by learning an effective energy psychology tool like the Emotional Freedom Technique.
• Reduce, with the plan of eliminating, grains and sugars from your daily diet.
• Modify your eating habits based on your body's unique nutritional type.

Journal of the American Medical Association, Vol. 296, No. 1, July 5, 2006: 79-86

UPMC News Bureau July 5, 2006

Yahoo News July 6, 2006