Obesity rates in women have leveled off and stayed steady since 1999, long enough for researchers to say the plateau appears to be real. And, they say, there are hints that the rates may be leveling off for men, too. The researchers’ report, published online at cdc.gov/nchs, used data from its periodic national surveys that record heights and weights of a representative sample of Americans. Those surveys, said Cynthia L. Ogden, an epidemiologist at the National Center for Health Statistics and the lead author of the new report, are the only national ones that provide such data. Dr. Ogden added that the trend for women was ‘great news.’ Obesity rates have held at about 35 percent since 1999, convincing her that the tide had changed. ‘I’m optimistic that it really is leveling off,’ she said. Men’s rates increased until 2003, when they hit 33 percent and stayed there through 2005-6. Dr. Ogden said she would like to see a few more years of data before declaring that men’s rates had stopped increasing. Obesity is defined as a body mass index, a measure of weight for height, of 30 or greater. For example, someone 5 feet 6 […]