Washington

Responding to a report from the U.S. Surgeon General that cited the growing trend of obesity in all age groups, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., introduced legislation June 3 designed to prevent and treat obesity and eating disorders. Today, 61 percent of American adults and 13 percent of American children are overweight or obese; and 300,000 deaths in this country are associated with obesity every year. Frist and bill co-sponsor Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., would allocate $60 million in grant funds to be used for nutrition education, to promote physical activity and to fund new research into preventing obesity and eating disorders.

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