A new study finds obesity leads to staggering healthcare costs, and major foodservice players join the good-for-you snack trend with new launches.

Obesity and associated illnesses cost the United States about $90 billion annually in healthcare costs, according to an estimate presented by prof. Adam Gilden Tsai of the University of Pennsylvania at a conference on obesity in October, Agence France-Presse reported.

Among developed countries, the United States has the most obese and overweight people, representing 66 percent of its overall population, Gilden Tsai says. Costs tied to excess pounds (or kilograms) account for 5 percent of all U.S. healthcare costs. This is based on a comparison of 30 previous studies on the cost of obesity for the U.S. healthcare system.

An obese person racks up an additional $1,034 in healthcare costs for doctors' visits, medications and medical procedures. This is 40 percent higher than a person of average weight, according to the study.

For someone who is overweight but not yet obese, the medical bills amount to $273 more a year, or 9.3 percent more than those of an average-weight person. And obese patients over the age of 65 pay an additional $2,511 in medical bills. Obesity often leads to other conditions, such as arthritis, asthma, breast cancer, colon cancer, diabetes and heart disease.

Smart Snacks
Frito-Lay, known for snack staples such as Doritos and Cheetos, announced it is adding a line of better-for-you chips to the trend of snacks made with fruits and vegetables. In February 2007, the snack giant will launch Flat Earth, snacks with half a serving of fruits or veggies per ounce (about 11 chips).

"Consumers are looking for healthier snacks," Tess Zbuchalski, Frito-Lay's wellness chief, told USA Today. "There aren't many other snacks that are healthy and convenient."

Other new veggie snacks include:
· Veggie crackers -In June, Kraft launched Roasted Vegetable Ritz Crackers. The focus, spokeswoman Laurie Guzzinati said, is flavor, and the company is not making nutritional claims.
· Veggie sticks -Robert's American Gourmet makes Veggie Booty (puffed rice and corn with spinach and kale) and has vegetable sticks on the way.
· Veggie chips -Terra Chips recently rolled out Sweets & Beets, chips made from beets and sweet potatoes.
· Dried veggies -Just Tomatoes Etc. dehydrates veggies and fruit into snacks.  FAD