( CNN ) -- Earlier this week , Dr. Mehmet Oz , host of the popular `` The Dr. Oz Show , '' conceded that there 's no long-term miracle weight loss pill . This is despite his previous use of the word `` miracle '' to describe the weight loss effects of forskolin , raspberry ketones , sea buckthorn , garcinia cambogia , African mango seed and green coffee bean extract . Dr. Oz said his job on the show `` is to be a cheerleader for the audience ( when ) they do n't think they have hope '' But hope is not the same as good advice , and , as Dr. Oz noted , none of these recommendations have proven miraculous . `` Cheerleading '' as described by Dr. Oz has contributed to the creation of a weight loss market that is overwhelmingly ineffective yet highly profitable , with sales at $ 60 billion per year . The demand is there . Among U.S. adults , 68 % are overweight or obese and as many as 100 million are trying to lose weight at any given time . Annually , obesity accounts for about $ 200 billion , or about 20 % , of our health care costs . It costs billions more in worker absenteeism and lost productivity . Over 80 % of people who lose 10 % or more of their weight will regain it , and for all the new treatments , that number has n't really improved in a generation . This is not to say that we should n't join Dr. Oz in offering hope . We should seek hope by investing in new ideas and more personalized approaches to combating the obesity epidemic rather than by embracing anecdotal `` miracles . '' One way is to focus on obesity prevention , which starts in the home , school and community . Numerous studies suggest that the behaviors we learn early in life influence our behavior as adults . ( I know that my parents always told me to eat a vegetable with lunch and dinner . To this day , if I am running late for work and just have time to grab a hot dog , I feel a scowling avatar of my mother pop up on my left shoulder ) . We can potentially delay or even prevent adult diseases by fostering better health habits in our children . Schools are an excellent venue in which to orient families toward healthy behavior . Teachers , in addition to providing health and physical education , can serve as role models and engage parents about good health practices for their children . Unfortunately , most public schools , including those in New York , do not meet their mandates for providing minimal physical education . And in general , there is n't enough focus on good dietary and exercise habits in school-based health initiatives . The need for a multipronged approach utilizing actions in communities , schools , businesses , families and health care providers to prevent obesity has been recognized by many federal programs ( such as Michelle Obama 's Let 's Move campaign ) , state programs ( such as New York 's ) , and local programs ( such as in Chicago or Los Angeles ) . Obesity prevention proposals have raised important questions regarding costs and long-term efficacy . It should be noted that some studies have shown that cost-effective , school-based interventions can be implemented , slow weight gain and yield other health benefits such as improved insulin sensitivity or cholesterol level in children . While it has not been determined whether these benefits persist after the program is stopped , the potential financial and health gains as a result of delaying the onset of obesity by even a few years would be huge . We need to start early at home , in classrooms , neighborhoods and even in the pediatrician 's office . The risk of a fat child becoming a fat adult is doubled at age 2-3 but over 20-fold after age 9 . Behavioral interventions appear more effective if started in early childhood . Exploration of new preventive measures should require detailed assessment of their short- and long-term efficacy so they are adequately vetted before they become policy . We should demand that our schools emphasize life-prep as well as test-prep and that failure of schools to fulfill their physical education obligations is treated with the same severity as failing to meet academic obligations . School lunches should be a part of school education and we must actively oppose efforts to undermine them , such as recent Republican efforts to allow schools to opt out of requirements for more fruits and vegetables in meals -- an improvement that arose from the 2010 Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act . Health education is a learning process , and like any academic area , it needs to be developed over time . Good nutrition and exercise habits are good for all of us -- fat or thin -- and most of us could use a refresher course . There is hope , but we have to use common sense and good science to make sure we 're on the right path . As Charles Darwin put it , `` the more we know of the fixed laws of nature the more incredible do miracles become . ''
Michael Rosenbaum : Dr. Mehmet Oz says there 's no long-term miracle weight loss pill . Rosenbaum : 68 % of adults are overweight or obese ; Americans want to lose weight . He says obesity prevention starts in the home , school , community , and at early age . Rosenbaum : Schools should provide strong health and physical education to students .