It’s no secret that there’s an obesity problem in America, and while we may think that more folks are concentrating on eating healthy and exercising, the truth is things are actually getting much worse.
New data gathered in a large-scale federal survey finds that close to 40% of U.S. adults were considered obese between 2015 and 2016 which is up from 33.7% between 2007 and 2008. What’s more, 7.7% of adults were considered severely obese during that same time period, which is up from 5.7%.
The survey considered obese people as anyone with a BMI of 30 or more, while someone with a BMI of 40 or more fell into the severely obese range. And of course an increase in obesity brings an increase in heath risks, like heart disease, diabetes and cancers.
On a positive note, young people seem to be doing a bit better than their older counterparts. The study found that 18.5% of those ages two to 19 were considered obese between 2015 and 2016, while 5.6% fell into the severely obese category. That is only a slight increase from ten years earlier. Although there is reason to worry about kids ages two to five, where obesity rates rose to 13.9% from 10.1% in 2007 and 2008.
As for why there’s such an increase, the research didn’t say, but experts suggests it’s likely due to lifestyle, genetics, and, of course, poor diet. You're kidding.
Source: Miami Herald