All Americans Could Be Overweight In 40 Years, Study Finds

August 6, 2008 9:40 p.m. EST

New York, NY (AHN) - It is not impossible that U.S. adults could be overweight in the next 40 years if the trends of the previous three decades continue, according to a new government-funded study.

Researchers say that the figures may seem impossible and that the actual rate does not reach the 100 percent mark. However, any upward movement in the rate is disturbing, considering that two in every three Americans are already overweight.

Dr. Lan Liang, a researcher from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, said that it is both genetically and physiologically impossible for all American adults to be overweight. But if the trends of the last 30 years stay consistent, the path to becoming obese is certain.

The overweight and obesity rates are very high, Dr. Liang and her colleagues identified. As a matter of fact, 78 percent of African-American women are presently overweight or obese.

By 2030, about 86 percent of Americans will be overweight and the obesity rate will be 51 percent, Liang said. By 2048, all Americans would be slightly overweight.

The study says that the groups who would face the biggest weight problems are African-Americans and Mexican-Americans. About 90 percent of Mexican-American men and all black women could be possibly overweight by 2034.

The new study is published in the journal Obesity. The information used was from government survey data gathered from 1970 to 2004.