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Tuesday, June 23rd, 2015

Obese Americans now outnumber those who are merely overweight, study says

Author:     Karen Kaplan
Source:     L.A. Times
Publication Date:     June 22, 2015 | 8:30 a.m.
 Link: Obese Americans now outnumber those who are merely overweight, study says
Stephan:   One of the things that strikes me as I travel around the U.S. is that in some areas morbid obesity is the norm. The health implications are deadly, but it is making billions in profit for the fat industry, a conglomeration of pharmaceutical companies, weight loss spas, diet "food" manufacturers, and others who live off America's poor eating habits.
Obese Americans now outnumber overweight Americans, according to a survey of adults ages 25 and above. Credit: Mark Lennihan / Associated Press

Obese Americans now outnumber overweight Americans, according to a survey of adults ages 25 and above.
Credit: Mark Lennihan / Associated Press

Americans have reached a weighty milestone: Adults who are obese now outnumber those who are merely overweight, according to a new report in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine.

A tally by researchers from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis estimated that 67.6 million Americans over the age of 25 were obese as of 2012, and an additional 65.2 million were overweight. Their count was based on data collected between 2007 and 2012 as part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, an ongoing study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (emphasis added)

The NHANES data included information on height and weight, which are used to calculate a person’s body mass index. A BMI between 18.5 and 24.9 is considered normal. Someone with a BMI in the 25-to-29.9 […]

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