Most people think of being overweight as a cosmetic problem. But important as appearance may be to some people, it is not the main drawback of obesity. Obesity may be a risk to your cardiovascular health. However, obesity is a bit different from other risk factors. There is a little film evidence that obesity in itself predisposes you to the development of coronary artery disease, the way high cholesterol or smoking does. Rather, it promotes the presence of other risk factors—such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and diabetes—that do increase your chances of heart disease. Also, heart disease that is already present is aggravated further by being overweight.One of every 3 or 4 Americans is overweight, and 1 in 10 is severely overweight. Approximately 34 million adults in this country qualify as being obese. *262\252\8*
