Study: Quarter of US Military Applicants Are Too Fat to Fight

(Oct. 15) -- There's no question that America's youth are squeezing into bigger jeans than they did a decade ago. But a new study on military recruits offers a startling reminder that today's young adults are increasingly too fat to fight.

Researchers at Cornell crunched the numbers on military applicants and concluded that 25 percent are deemed unfit to serve because they're overweight or obese.

Using estimates from a civilian study, the team also estimated that from 2007 to 2008, 5.7 million men and 16.5 million women within recruitment-age range (17 to 39) were ineligible for military service.

With different branches of the military aiming for 184,000 new recruits each year, the figures portend growing challenges when it comes to filling those quotas.

"Almost one in four applicants to the military are rejected for being overweight or obese -- it's the most common reason for medical disqualification," John Cawley, the study's lead author, said in a statement. "Having a smaller pool of men and women who are fit enough to serve adds to the strain and creates even more problems for national defense."

Of course, this isn't the first study to warn that today's teens could pose a threat to national security: A Pentagon-funded project last year concluded that 75 percent of American youth were unfit to serve, for health reasons including obesity, depression and a history of illegal drug use.

The Pentagon's already launched several initiatives to whip troops into shape and get them to the salad bar. But given the prevalence of sedentary lifestyles and poor nutrition, that's a task that requires a cautious approach.

Revamped fitness training recently instituted by the Army, for example, minimizes distance running, incorporates yoga and emphasizes a "crawl, walk, run" approach that's designed to prevent injuries and help troops attain baseline cardiovascular and strength abilities.

Nutrition will also get a military mandated boost, with chow halls cutting back on fried foods, desserts and sugar-laden energy drinks.

That said, these changes will only affect troops already approved for enlistment. Where new recruitment is concerned, the Cornell team suggests that one of the Pentagon's only options is to ease weight and body fat requirements for noncombat service members.

"A computer programmer or cook may not need to have the same level of physical fitness as an infantryman," Cawley said.

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