Nearly 75% of adults living in the United States are obese or overweight since 2021, according to a new study published by the Lancet.
“I would consider it an epidemic,” Marie Ng, an affiliate associate professor at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington School of Medicine and co-author of the new paper, told the New York Times.
Researchers found that cases of obesity and overweight in adults are rising at a higher rate. Since 1990, the overweight and obese population increased by more than 40%.
The authors predict that by 2050, 260 million Americans, equalling 80% of the population, will be considered overweight.
The study had determined overweight as a person with a body mass index of 25% and obese as a person with a body mass index of 30%. While the authors of the study say BMI may not be a best account for differing body structure, it does accurately measure how much body fat a person may have.
The rise in obesity isn’t just impacting adults, but it’s seen an increase in both children and adolescents.
Now, almost half of Americans between the ages of 15 and 24 are either overweight or obese, but back in 1990, 29% of adolescents struggled with their weight.
With the rise in obesity comes a rise in illnesses like diabetes, high cholesterol, and heart disease. Complications associated with obesity have become one of the leading causes of healthcare spending, — in the past 30 years, there’s been a 140% increase in spending.
In 2021, 335,000 deaths were attributed to obesity.
While weight loss drugs have risen in popularity, Ng says that “it is not a silver bullet” in fighting obesity.
Lead study author Emmanuela Gakidou, a professor with the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington said a coordinated effort by government and health officials must occur to ensure Americans are able to live healthier lifestyles.
“Above all, reversing the U.S. obesity epidemic will rely on the government supporting programs that increase levels of physical activity, such as investing in safe and walkable neighborhoods, guaranteeing the availability of healthy food to children and adolescents, regulating the food and marketing industries and achieving environmentally sustainable food systems,” Gakidou said.
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