A new study predicts that 42 percent of American adults will be obese by 2030. And all this week we’re looking at that prediction with people we might not normally think of as obesity specialists — from city planners to coffin makers.

Today, we’re continuing the conversation with another unexpected obesity expert: a mathematician. Dr. Carson Chow is a mathematician and investigator with the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive Kidney Diseases who specializes in obesity.