NEW YORK (AP) — A new government survey finds that about 40% of American adults are obese. And nearly 1 in 10 are severely obese.
Those findings were released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
They come from a 2017-2018 health survey that measures height and weight. More than 5,000 U.S. adults took part.
The obesity rate has risen about 40% in the last two decades. The severe obesity rate has doubled over that time.
One obesity expert says the findings suggest that more Americans will get diabetes, heart disease and cancer. He also says it will be increasingly difficult for doctors to care for so many severely obese people.