NEWS FLASH

Study: Nearly Half of Americans Will Be Obese By 2030 | For the second year in a row, President Obama is naming September “National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month” — and for good reason. A new study finds that nearly half of the U.S. population will be obese by 2030. Currently, roughly one-third of Americans are obese. According to Columbia University and Oxford University researchers, there will be an additional 65 million obese adults living in the U.S., bringing the number up from 99 million to 164 million. Research also indicates the country will face 7.8 million more cases of diabetes, 6.8 million more cases of coronary heart disease and stroke, and 539,000 more cases of cancer. The treatment of these preventable diseases will increase medical costs by $48 billion and $66 billion per year. Indeed, an annual spending on obesity-related diseases will likely lead to a 2.6 percent increase in national health spending.