Dr. Steven Smith is finally getting some respect.

Although the director of the new Florida Hospital-Burnham Clinical Research Institute has gained a national reputation for his groundbreaking obesity and diabetes research, only in recent years has his field of study become recognized as a legitimate scientific discipline — and one of the top health concerns in the nation and around the world.

“It’s like AIDS was in the ’90s. Everybody is talking about obesity and its related health issues,” said Smith, 48.

And for good reason.

Not only has obesity been linked to Type 2 diabetes, but also everything from increased prevalence of cancer to cardiovascular disease.

“The American Heart Association and other medical groups were seeing deaths from cardiovascular disease in the last 25 years going down, then saw that those affected by obesity and the diabetic epidemic have higher numbers of heart problems,” said Smith. “The American Cancer Society saw that obesity increased risk of cancer. They’re started doing the math, and they got on the bandwagon.”

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