Killer At Large: Why Obesity Is America's Greatest Threat

Plot Summary

Obesity rates in the United States have skyrocketed over the last twenty years, with no end in sight. Former Surgeon General Richard Carmona warns, "obesity is a terror within. It is destroying our society from within and unless we do something about it, the magnitude of the dilemma will dwarf 9/11 or any other terrorist event." Tracing the problem to its root, the film begins with the collision of our hunter gatherer ancestry with the modern environment of convenience, stress and abundance. We then meet Brooke, who resorted to liposuction and a tummy tuck at age 12, and examine the emotional and environmental factors in food addiction. Leaders of several world religions cite scripture calling believers to live healthful lives free of overindulgence and laziness. Meanwhile the government and their industrial paymasters force farmers to over-produce the wrong foods for mass consumption. More policies force the price of vegetables artificially high and the price of intensely processed food artificially low - positioning the poor to suffer the health consequences of public policy. Government programs in schools make our children obese: from Bush's "No Child Left Behind" and Federal School Lunch Program to budget cuts and vending machines, America's public schools have the perfect storm of conditions for unprecedented weight gain in our nation's youth. The implications extend to national security, as Carmona wonders, "Where will our soldiers, sailors and airmen come from? Where will our police and firemen come from?" Already 71% of veterans are overweight or obese and suffer more amputations due to diabetes than war-related injuries. We are the most obese generation in the history of the world; America is on the wrong path and drastic action is needed to reverse this pandemic. "It's a battle we fight three times a day and we've all been drafted. It's truly the most democratic of wars."- Dr. Lionel Tiger. Featuring President Clinton, Ralph Nader, Senators Tom Harkin and Sam Brownback, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Governor Mike Huckabee, Michael Pollan, Neil LaBute, Barry Glassner (Bowling for Columbine), Dr. Kelly Brownell (Super Size Me), Dr. Barry Popkin (Penn and Teller's Bullshit).