Study: Obesity costs $300B a year

The study finds that those who are overweight and obese in the U.S. and Canada cost $300 billion a year, a result of increased need for medical care, as well as loss of economic productivity due to death and disability.

According to the SOA, the $300 billion-a year figure breaks down into the following economic costs:

• Total cost of excess medical care caused by being overweight/obese: $127 billion
• Economic loss of productivity caused by excess mortality: $49 billion
• Economic loss of productivity caused by disability for active workers : $43 billion
• Economic loss of productivity caused by being overweight/obese for totally disabled workers: $72 billion