Obese people have joint pain, heart conditions

A new survey helps quantify what doctors and public health officials have long known: Obese adults are significantly more likely to report having joint pain, heart conditions, high cholesterol and diabetes than people at a healthy weight.In fact, 58 percent of adults who are obese (roughly 30 or more pounds over a healthy weight) said they suffered from joint pain, vs. 40 percent of people at healthy weight, according to a survey from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.Obesity increases the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, some types of cancers and other health problems.These statistics are from the 2009 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, a nationally representative survey of about 24,000 adults, ages 20 and older, followed for two years.