Three-Quarters of U.S. Adults Are Now Overweight or Obese
www.nytimes.com
A sweeping new paper reveals the dramatic rise of obesity rates nationwide since 1990.

Summary

A new Lancet study reveals nearly three-quarters of U.S. adults are overweight or obese, a sharp rise from just over half in 1990.

Obesity among adults doubled to over 40%, while rates among girls and women aged 15–24 nearly tripled to 29%.

The study highlights significant health risks, including diabetes, heart disease, and shortened life expectancy, alongside projected medical costs of up to $9.1 trillion over the next decade.

Experts stress obesity’s complex causes—genetic, environmental, and social—and call for structural reforms like food subsidies, taxes on sugary drinks, and expanded treatment access.

Non-paywall link

  • Flying Squid
    1•1 month ago

    Benjamin Franklin wanted it to be the turkey. He was thinking of the lean, mean wild turkey, but I think a deep fried one that had been fattened on a farm with the help of a bunch of hormones would work these days.