With obesity rates soaring higher than ever before, it's great to see statistics reporting that they're dropping, at least in some places. In the Canadian province of BC, for instance, reports are saying that obesity rates are the lowest they've been in 10 years, decreasing from 12.7% to 10.9%.

So what are they doing there that the rest of us aren't? Most experts believe the positive change comes down to a health initiative in the area. ActNow BC encourages residents to eat better, exercise more and quit smoking.

With proof that such a program works, we can only hope that the rest of North America can get a similar act going and make some healthy choices.

(via Calorie Lab)

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Despite media attention and public service campaigns, obesity in the US has risen over the past year. No states had a decline in obesity and 37 states reported increases in obesity. At least 20% of adults are obese in every state except for Colorado. As recently as 1991, no states had an obesity rate that exceeded 20%.

It's clear that more public campaigns are needed to halt this harmful rise in public health. Better food choices and nutrition programs in schools as well as an increase in physical education opportunities. More public opportunities and programs for fitness. Walkable communities that promote -- not hinder -- an active lifestyle. The options are limitless, really. But public programs and campaigns will never take the place of personal responsibility. While an infrastructure that encourages a healthy lifestyle is necessary, people also need to take control of their own health.

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The United States is two to three years behind most Western countries in terms of life expectancy -- it ranks 29th among all United Nations' member nations. Highest is Andorra, with an average life expectancy of 83. The U.S. magical age is 78. Still, we're making some progress in the life expectancy arena.

• Babies born in 2006 have an average life expectancy about four months greater than babies born in 2005.
  
  

• The male-female difference has declined over the past 15 years, from eight years to five years.
  
  

• Blacks have been gaining on whites.
  
  
• Flu and pneumonia deaths are dropping -- there were 22,000 fewer deaths between 2005 and 2006.
  
  
• Infant mortality rates are dropping.
  
  

• Deaths from stroke, lower respiratory diseases, heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes are on the decline.
  
  

While it's too soon to tell if some of these occurrences are caused by statistical fluke or real trends, there's a possibility the drop in diabetes deaths is the biggest researchers have seen in a long time. And that, my friends, would be some pretty good news.

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Sometimes incentives are all it takes to motivate the masses to lose weight. For the masses of breast cancer survivors out there, here's an incentive: New research indicates that for every 11 pounds a woman gains following her diagnosis, the chances of the disease proving fatal rise 14 percent. While I didn't previously know these precise numbers, I was aware of the fact that carrying extra weight hurts chances of breast cancer survival. This is, in large part, why I've been tweaking my diet and exercise practices over the past seven months. I'd gained 10 pounds throughout my own treatment. Now I've lost 15. In light of this new finding, I'm certainly relieved I'm not going in the other direction.

This new study -- paid for by the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Breast Cancer Foundation -- is not completely definitive at this point, but it does supply strong evidence that controlling weight gain may be especially important after breast cancer. For women considered obese, researchers found the death risk to be more than twice that of women with a normal weight. Pretty compelling, I think.

The sad reality of breast cancer treatment is that it often causes women, like me, to gain weight. And while this may not be preventable throughout the treatment phase, it's critical that survivors get back on track as soon as possible so they can keep from gaining weight over the long term. This is exactly what I'm trying to do.

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I happen to be concerned with both my fitness and my fat as I strive for optimal health. But one is more important than the other, it seems.

When determining who will live longer, cardiovascular fitness is a better indicator than body fat, researchers say. A study of people over 60 found that those who died during a 12-year period of time had lower fitness levels. For those with similar body fat, the subjects who had better cardio ratings were more likely to survive. Overall, death rates for those with tip-top fitness were less than half of the rates of the unfit.

If nothing else, this study makes clear that it may be possible to reduce all-cause death rates among older adults, including those who are obese, by promoting regular physical activity. It can be as simple as brisk walking for 30 minutes or more on most days of the week. Fat or no fat, exercise is key.

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It's hard to imagine that more than 17 million people will die annually from cancer in the year 2030, but that is what a cancer official with the United Nations predicted this week.

It's comforting for those concerned with secondhand smoke to know that public smoking bans are increasing all over the world, but that till won't make a huge and significant dent in cancer cases (although perhaps lung cancer cases). My take: the junk many of us eat and the pollution we are exposed to will be main cancer culprits in the future.

In what could be considered devastating, the same U.N. official stated that poor countries will suffer the most from this projected cancer increase due to limited health fiscal resources and a lack of treatments and associated therapy.

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It's amazing to hear that nearly two billion citizens across the globe could create a rising amount of poor health due to the rise of "dirty energy."

Dirty energy can come in the form of air pollution and exposure to smoke from open fires, among many other things. In other words, the burning of coal to power electric grids is generally not all that healthy to live near (or breathe, of course).

A recent report in the medical journal The Lancet stated that 2.4 billion people worldwide were exposed to pollution from inefficient burning of solid fuels like wood, coal and dried cow dung.

So, in the march to get that energy into the electric grid or for heating, the inefficiency of many methods in several countries could cause escalating problems with the health of nearby citizens.

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U.S. health officials stated this week that U.S. deaths increased in 2005 after a sharp decline in 2004. To the researchers, this suggested that the decline a year earlier was most likely some kind of fluke. I say -- research this "fluke" and see how it happened. Sound like a plan?

Yes, that plan is probably way easier said than done, but the possibility of finding out any possible causes of a drastic decline in the overall death rate during a single year deserves some investigation, yes? So far, officials believe 2004's decline was due to a mild flu season. That sounds too simplistic for my tastes, although I am sure it's partially true.

With 2004 death rates in the U.S. at 2,397,615 (down 50,000 from 2003), 2005 deaths stood at 2,447,900 (about about another 50,000). But, of course, one year does not make a good baseline for anything. Still, what cased that aberration in 2004?

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It's no secret that obesity is not only on the rise, but has become one of (if not the) biggest health concern for people of all ages in North America, Europe, Australia and various other countries/continents. The bloggers at That's Fit have covered a variety of topics relating to the subject including everything from new ambulances equipped especially to transport obese patients (Rigel Gregg) to how overweight patients have a higher likelihood of complications after surgery (Bethany Sanders).

One of the most disturbing things I've read about the increase in overweight adults and kids, is this article which reports on a Canadian study that says kids aged 2 to 17 will be the first generation ever to have a lower life expectancy than their parents because of skyrocketing obesity rates. According to the study, approximately one-quarter of Canadian kids (rates are similar in American depending on what source you check) are extremely overweight and at a higher risk of a number of conditions including Type 2 diabetes, joint problems, heart attack and stroke.

The article mentions that one way to help kids lose weight is to change the views that overeating is alright and that exercise isn't cool. It also mentions the problems associated with marketing junk food and fast food to kids. In addition, parents need to help their children make better choices when it comes to both food and exercise. What do you think is the key to lowering obesity rates among kids?

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I was having a hard time sleeping and turned on the TV at 4:00a.m. to watch some morning news. The news anchor announced a new diet pill for dogs with a picture of an extremely over weight beagle behind him and said that the pill should be approved by the FDA, Food and Drug Administration, by next year.

HELLO.......Get your lazy butt up off the couch and take the dog for a long walk every day. You know you might shed some pounds yourself. It is time we build some healthy relationships with our pets and give them the care and nutrition and exercise that they require to live a healthy life. With obesity rates rising in the U.S. in children, teens, adults and in pets, we should get a clue on our daily diet and exercise programs. For heaven sakes your dog can't open the fridge to feed itself unless it is the dog in the beer commercial who fetches his owner a beer. Fat-filled dog foods and treats can create exceptionally unhealthy pets that are subject to the same health complications as people with obesity and related complications. Supermarket shelves are filled with dog foods that claim to be natural dog food or healthy dog food. Read the ingredients in the fine print. So feed the dog a good quality food low in saturated fats and low in corn meals and other fillers and by products. Reduce the quantity of food every day if your dog is over weight. And a must is to give the dog some exercise. All dogs like to take walks. I think it is the owners that don't like to walk. Go out in the back yard and throw a ball or Frisbee. Give it healthy snacks and treats like a piece of carrot or a slice of apple or a piece of banana. Yes my dogs love these healthy treats.

In an extreme case if the dog has a major physical ailment that keeps it from walking and exercising, the pill might do some good. But you know the diet pills for humans can eventually create problems for our liver and heart so if that is the case for dogs also, we need to take a look at the quality of life here for that pet.