Obesity rates among US adults are no longer rising, new CDC data shows

Nearly 40% of adults in the United States are obese, according to new data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That’s the first time the country has been obese in more than a decade. obesity The federal government’s national health survey found no increase in rates.

The numbers come from: a new report The CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics analyzed data collected over decades of research by the agency. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey nationwide.

A study conducted in 2000 found that approximately 30% of adults obesedefined as something that has body mass index 30 or older. By 2020, the CDC’s estimated adult obesity rate had risen to 41.9%.

The CDC estimates that 40.3% of adults are obese, looking at survey data from 2021 to 2023.

While the difference between 2020 and 2023 is too small to count as a statistically significant decline, this modest decline breaks a pattern of increasing rates. almost every year Since 2011.

“The prevalence of obesity among adults in the United States remains above the Healthy People 2030 goal of 36.0%,” the agency said, citing the federal government’s report. official target Reducing the proportion of Americans who are overweight or obese.

Obesity rates continue to be highest among adults ages 40 to 59, at 46.4%. Rates are lowest among those ages 20 to 39, at 35.5%.

Severe obesity The CDC’s survey also found that rates continue to rise. When adjusted for age, the prevalence among adults with a BMI of 40 or above increased from 7.7% to 9.4%.

In these higher ranges of obesity, the National Institutes of Health warns people are at greatest risk diseases which are linked to weight gain, such as heart disease and diabetes.

Map shows states with highest and lowest obesity rates

The new figures come just a week after the CDC’s announcement released state map based on results from a different ongoing study of obesity rates nationwide questionnaire a study conducted by the agency that found more than a third of adults in 23 states will be obese by 2023. That’s up from a decade ago when no state had more than a third of its residents obese in 2013.

Only the District of Columbia and Colorado had less than a quarter of their populations expected to be obese by 2023. That’s lower than the seven states and Washington, D.C., that had rates below 25% in 2013.

“These new data highlight the need for obesity prevention and treatment options that start with building healthier communities where people of all ages have safe places to engage in physical activity, and where health care and healthy food choices are accessible and affordable to all,” said Dr. Karen Hacker, director of the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC’s release of new figures also comes ahead of a meeting of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee hearing He sat down with Novo Nordisk’s CEO to answer questions about the high prices the drugmaker was demanding for its blockbuster semaglutide drugsBranded as Ozempirical diabetes and Wegovy to lose weight.

Increased demand for Novo Nordisk drugssimilar drugs like tirzepatide, made by rival Eli Lilly Zepbagli for weight loss and Mounjaro for diabetes, the Food and Drug Administration famine list For years.

“Epidemiologists estimate that more than 40,000 lives could be saved annually with the participation of Wegovy and others. weight loss pills The panel, led by Democrats and Vermont Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders, said they offer products that are “affordable and widely available in the United States.” release Before the trial.