Western world gives birth to 'sumo babies'.

• Position: Obesity

Obesity is not just an American problem; in Britain, doctors have begun administering the diabetes drug metformin to the unborn babies of morbidly obese mothers-to-be to reduce the fetuses' weight, as dangerously overweight pregnant women create excessive amounts of insulin, which results in "sumo babies" weighing 11 pounds or more. These extra-large newborns have twice the chance of becoming obese adults, and their numbers have risen by 50% in the past four years.

Obese women are at a higher risk of dying while pregnant, and their babies are more likely to be stillborn. "I don't know how many more signs we need in Western society before we really get serious about our health--are we really treating unborn babies for obesity?" asks Gordon Filepas, author of Lean and Healthy to 100, a guide for achieving optimal health based on studying cultures where long lives are the norm.

Filepas found many common practices and characteristics in especially healthy cultures. These include:

* It is not necessary to count calories. Once you give your body what it needs, you will consume fewer calories naturally. This puts significantly lees stress on the digestive system.

* Human beings evolved as hunters and gatherers who took every opportunity for caloric intake. In the process, a wide spectrum of nutrients became the norm, and that...