Excess weight has been linked to a number of health problems including high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, gall-bladder disease, and respiratory conditions.  It has also been associated with breast, endometrial, and uterine cancers in women, and cancer of the colon and rectum in men.  85% of Type II diabetes cases are attributed to obesity, along with 45% of hypertension, 35% of heart disease, and 18% of high cholesterol.  Obesity has also been shown to result in a decreased life span for both women and men and may be a contributing factor in as many as 300,000 deaths each year.  About $65 billion is spent each year on health complications related to obesity ($100 billion if include disability and productivity).