According to the CDC, in the past 20 years, instances of obesity have skyrocketed, triggering a wave of debilitating conditions such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and many forms of cancer.
Consider these obesity statistics:
-Nearly 3 in 4 Americans are either overweight or obese.
-More than a quarter (25.6 percent) of all Americans are obese, which means they have a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher.
-More men (26.4 percent) than women (24.8 percent) are obese.
-Only two states or territories had obesity rates of less than 20 percent: Colorado and Washington, DC.
-The Deep South had the highest obesity rates: More than 3 in 10 residents of Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and West Virginia are obese.
-Louisiana (33 percent, or 1 in every 3 people) and Tennessee (32.3 percent) are the states with the highest obesity rates.
-Colorado (18.6 percent) has the lowest obesity rate of all states.
*Sources
Forbes.com, citing World Health Organization data
