It is widely recognized that the increasing proportion of overweight children and adolescents in the United States is a serious public health issue. Fifteen percent of young Americans are overweight — up from approximately 5 percent in the early 1970s. This dramatic increase is associated with the emergence of type 2 diabetes mellitus as a growing health problem among children. Black and Hispanic children have both a higher prevalence of overweight and a greater risk of type 2 diabetes than do white children. The rising prevalence of overweight and obesity indicates that, increasingly, young people have an energy intake that . . .