America's waist grows while wallets shrink

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U.S. Adult Obesity Rates Continue to Expand

America is fat and is getting fatter. According to a study by the

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than one quarter of the

U.S. adult population was technically obese last year. In 2005, about

24% of Americans were obese. But by 2007, that number had risen to

25.6%. Obesity was measured for the study using the body mass index

(BMI). People whose BMI exceeded 30 fell into the obese category.

America's heaviest states are Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee, which

are home to adult populations that are 30% medically obese, according to

the study. On the flip side, Colorado was the thinnest state, with only

18.7% of the population deemed obese. Regionally, the southern states

have the heaviest adult populations, with a 27% obesity rate, whereas

the Midwest had an obesity rate of 25%, the Northeast 23% and the West

22%. Read more about the study here

<http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?storyID=2008-07-17T17005

6Z_01_N17488433_RTRUKOC_0_US-OBESITY-USA.xml & amp;WTmodLoc=NewsHome-C3-he

althNews-2> , or check out a government BMI table here

<http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/obesity/bmi_tbl.htm> .

The study:

More Americans obese, government finds

Thu Jul 17, 2008 12:01 PM ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - More than a quarter of all Americans are now

obese, the latest U.S. government figures show.

The percentage of U.S. adults who are obese grew by nearly 2 percent

between 2005 and 2007, from just under 24 percent to 25.6 percent, the

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Thursday.

Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee had the worst rates, with 30 percent

of adults reporting weights that made them medically obese.

Colorado had the slimmest population, with 18.7 percent of people

reporting weights that put them in the obese category.

Obesity is defined as having a body mass index or BMI of 30 or above.

BMI is calculated using height and weight. For example, a 5-foot, 9-inch

tall adult who weighs 203 pounds (92 kg) would have a BMI of 30.

BMI takes into account variations in build for all but the most heavily

muscled athletes.

" The epidemic of adult obesity continues to rise in the United States

indicating that we need to step up our efforts at the national, state

and local levels, " said Dr. Dietz, director of the CDC's

Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity.

" We need to encourage people to eat more fruits and vegetables, engage

in more physical activity and reduce the consumption of high calorie

foods and sugar sweetened beverages in order to maintain a healthy

weight, " Dietz said.

CDC researchers used data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance

System, an annual telephone survey of more than 350,000 adults.

Southerners are the heaviest Americans, on average, with 27 percent

obese. Just over 25 percent of adults in the Midwest, 23 percent in the

Northeast, and 22 percent in the West were obese.

In May, the CDC reported that the childhood obesity epidemic had leveled

off after surging for about 20 years, with 16 percent of young people

obese.

World health officials have agreed on a BMI of 30 as an easily

remembered cutoff point for obesity. People are considered overweight

when they have a BMI of 25, and the health effects of obesity and

overweight, such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer, increase

steadily as weight goes up.

A government BMI table is available at

http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/obesity/bmi_tbl.htm

(Reporting by Maggie Fox; editing by Steenhuysen and Vicki )

S. Kalman PhD, RD, CCRC, FACN

Miami Research Associates

Director, Nutrition & Applied Clinical Research

6141 Sunset Drive #301

Miami, FL. 33143

(fax)

www.miamiresearch.com <http://www.miamiresearch.com>