Study: Half The Population To Be Obese By 2030

It's no secret that Americans are putting on pounds, and have been for the last twenty years or so. And it's likely to get worse before it gets better.

A research team led by Claire Wang at the Mailman School of Public Health in Columbia University in New York predicts about half the U.S. adult population will be obese by 2030.

Their findings, published in the journal Lancet, showed obesity is the greatest problem in the U.S. and UK. In the U.S., 32 per cent of men and 35 per cent of women are now classified as obese.

On par with tobacco

The researchers say the trend, if not soon reversed, holds significant public health implications. Obesity is already replacing tobacco as the major preventable disease. Public health experts say obesity can lead to 7.8 million additional cases of diabetes in the next two decades. It is also a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke.

Unlike many ailments, doctors know pretty much what causes obesity – over-consumption of food and beverages and too little exercise. That's why obesity is placed into the “preventable” category, along with the effects of smoking.

Worldwide problem

Worldwide, some 1.5 billion adults are overweight, while a 500 million are in the obese category. The researchers say treating obesity is costly, taking a growing percentage of health care costs.

What's the difference between overweight and being obese? According to the Centersf For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) overweight and obesity are both labels for ranges of weight that are greater than what is generally considered healthy for a given height. The terms also identify ranges of weight that have been shown to increase the likelihood of certain diseases and other health problems.

For adults, overweight and obesity ranges are determined by using weight and height to calculate a number called the "body mass index" (BMI). BMI is used because, for most people, it correlates with their amount of body fat.

An adult who has a BMI between 25 and 29.9 is considered overweight.

An adult who has a BMI of 30 or higher is considered obese.

For children and teens, BMI ranges above a normal weight have different labels (overweight and obese). Additionally, BMI ranges for children and teens are defined so that they take into account normal differences in body fat between boys and girls and differences in body fat at various ages.