Summary
A new Lancet study reveals nearly three-quarters of U.S. adults are overweight or obese, a sharp rise from just over half in 1990.
Obesity among adults doubled to over 40%, while rates among girls and women aged 15–24 nearly tripled to 29%.
The study highlights significant health risks, including diabetes, heart disease, and shortened life expectancy, alongside projected medical costs of up to $9.1 trillion over the next decade.
Experts stress obesity’s complex causes—genetic, environmental, and social—and call for structural reforms like food subsidies, taxes on sugary drinks, and expanded treatment access.
I mean, do you feel bad if someone is overweight and complains about their bad knees? Yes, obviousy
And I care that there’s a country full of very unhealthy people who will die unnecessarily early deaths because they have been raised to eat processed food and have been addicted to sugar since they were babies.