America as a superpower: Without 'immediate action', approximately 260 million Americans will be overweight or obese by 2050

Researchers warn that unless immediate action is taken, about 260 million Americans, more than 41 million adults, will become infected. overweight or obese By 2050.

This includes 213 million adults over the age of 25 (almost three-quarters of the adult population) and more than 43 million children and adolescents between the ages of 5 and 24.

Approximately 1 in 5 children, at least 1 in 3 adolescents, and 2 in 3 adults have obesitythe highest levels are concentrated in southern states.

“Our analysis reveals the failure of decades of efforts to combat the growing overweight and obesity epidemic in the United States. The devastating consequences of the surge. too fat “Childhood obesity is already evident from the rising prevalence of childhood hypertension and type 2 diabetes,” said Emanuela Gakidou, a professor at the University of Washington. statement.

She pointed out that obesity or being overweight can lead to serious health conditions such as diabetes, heart attack, stroke, cancer, mental health disorders and premature death.

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“Rising healthcare system and economic costs are similarly pervasive, with more than 260 million people in the United States expected to be overweight or obese by 2050, including more than half of all children and adolescents. ” Gakidou said. “A concerted effort and urgent investment is required to change these alarming trajectories and secure a healthier future for now and for generations to come.”

The findings come from a major new analysis by the Global Burden of Disease Research Collaborators Network. The peer-reviewed modeling study, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, was published Thursday in a medical journal. lancet. The lead author is Gakido.

They used 134 unique data sources, including national surveillance data, to reach these conclusions. They also used definitions of these conditions based on body mass index (BMI), stating: May not take into account differences in body structure.

People aged 18 years or older and with a BMI between 25 kg/m2 and less than 30 kg/m2 were considered “overweight.” Obesity was defined as a BMI of 30 kg/m2 or higher. The definition of individuals under 18 years of age is based on the standards of the International Committee on Obesity.

They did not examine racial and ethnic disparities in obesity.

The authors found that this assessment of people considered overweight and obese, considering all age groups and states, shows that obesity rates among adults and older adults have at least doubled over the past 30 years, from 1990 to 2021. He said that he estimates that it has happened.

This was especially true in the South, including Oklahoma, Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, Texas, West Virginia, and Kentucky. These states had the highest levels of obesity and overweight among older adults in 2021. More than half of men ages 15 to 24 in Texas and nearly two-thirds of older female adolescents in Mississippi were living with these conditions.

They predict that between 2021 and 2050, the highest prevalence of obesity among men will be in Colorado and New Mexico, and among adult women in Kansas and Colorado. The highest levels of obesity are expected to continue in the South.

In 2021, an estimated 15.1 million children and adolescents and 21.4 million older adolescents were overweight or obese. By 2050, approximately one in five children and at least one in three adolescents will be living with obesity.

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More and more people are using weight loss drugs such as Ozempic and Wigovy, but they alone are not enough to solve the obesity epidemic. However, past trends do not necessarily indicate what will happen in the future.

The authors called for legislative action focused on prevention and intervention, including programs to increase physical activity levels and ensure access to healthy foods.

“Obesity is a crisis across the United States, and every state is facing some level of challenge,” said Marie Ng, an associate professor at the University of Washington. Ng is a co-author of this analysis.

“Over the past 30 years, the country has experienced extensive economic, demographic and technological transitions that have led to profound changes in food and farming systems, urbanization, wealth and education inequalities, and the underlying Structural racism has all interacted to drive population-wide “obesity…”