Obesity Gains on Smoking

While smoking cigarettes still puts your health at the greatest risk, obesity is gaining on the number-one killer. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, smoking is responsible for 440,000 deaths in America each year. Obesity-related deaths number somewhere between 280,000 and 325,000. Studies have also shown that medical expenditures for the effects of obesity are higher than for smokers because of how long certain obesity diseases last, coupled with the expensive treatment needed for such complications.