Out of the 288 million people in America, 139 million are overweight, a panel discussing the growing problem of obesity said last night at the Museum of Science.

In an open discussion held by the Center for Integration of Medicine and Innovative Technology, medical and nutrition experts JoAnn Mason, George Blackburn and Lee Kaplan addressed the ‘Supersizing of America.’

Mason, chief of preventive medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, called attention to the correlations between obesity and disease. According to Mason, four out of the eight greatest causes of death in the United States heart disease, several forms of cancer, strokes and diabetes are affected by obesity.

Americans are disregarding the food pyramid, Blackburn, associate director of nutrition at Harvard University, offered as an explanation.

Comparing the correct nutritional food pyramid to a food pyramid based on the eating habits of Americans, Blackburn showed fats, sweets and breads were in excess while fruits, vegetables and dairy were neglected.

Fast food restaurants and the ‘supersizing’ of all foods, including bagels, candy bars and sodas are responsible for this epidemic, Blackburn said.

‘We need portion control,’ he said.

Some popular diets could serve as a possible remedy for the obesity problem, Blackburn said. He addressed the popular Atkin’s Diet, based on high protein and low carbohydrate intake and consisting mostly of meat.

Blackburn expressed skepticism about the ability of the Atkin’s Diet to induce a long-term weight loss.

Another diet, the Omish Diet, takes out meat in exchange for an excess of fruits, vegetables and more grains, he explained. This diet is more difficult to maintain, he said, since many fatty and sweet foods are cut from the selection.

The option of surgery exists for those people who need immediate results for health reasons, said Lee Kaplan, director of the Weight Center at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Out of the people who try therapies to remedy their weight, 90 percent end up gaining all of the weight back after the first six months, Kaplan said.

Although there is ‘potential for complications’ one out of 200 patients dies there are some ‘who will not survive long enough to reap the benefits of prevention and exercise,’ Kaplan said in support of the decision to get surgery.

‘Obesity is something you cannot escape as an individual or in society,’ Kaplan said.