More Americans are becoming obese, a striking study finds
More Americans are overweight or obese now compared to 20 years ago, a study published Monday in JAMA Internal Medicine shows. Despite an onslaught of healthy eating and exercise campaigns in recent years, 75 percent of men and 67 percent of women ages 25 and older are overweight or obese.
The new data is a "wake-up call" for policymakers, wrote Washington University School of Medicine researcher Lin Yang in a statement released with the report. She told The Washington Post that technological advances play a huge part in the shift, as they make people more stationary at work and at home.
For the first time, the number of obese Americans is higher than the number of those who are overweight.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Julie Kliegman is a freelance writer based in New York. Her work has appeared in BuzzFeed, Vox, Mental Floss, Paste, the Tampa Bay Times and PolitiFact. Her cats can do somersaults.
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstancesSpeed Read
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2Speed Read
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governorSpeed Read
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditionsSpeed Read
-
Mega Millions jackpot climbs to an estimated $1.55 billionSpeed Read
-
Bangladesh dealing with worst dengue fever outbreak on recordSpeed Read
-
Glacial outburst flooding in Juneau destroys homesSpeed Read
-
Scotland seeking 'monster hunters' to search for fabled Loch Ness creatureSpeed Read


