"The health-care system, already strained with an aging population, now has to deal with a population that is sedentary and obese, does not generally eat a healthy diet and has chronic conditions earlier. How are we possibly going to pay for that?" Butler said.

"And isn't it unfortunate if we end up faced with that difficult choice when three-fourths could have been prevented with basic lifestyle regimens" shown by the research, he said.

Researchers included BYU graduate students and health-care professionals from Illinois.

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Health improvements were dramatic

BYU study participants:

Changed their diet to include more grains, legumes, fresh fruits and vegetables and less high-fat dairy products and red meat.

Engaged in walking-centered exercise for 30 minutes each day.

They saw dramatic improvements in:

Cholesterol, blood pressure, blood glucose and weight loss.

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E-mail: lois@desnews.com