Obesity Rates In USA Level Off

Obesity in USA

American obesity rates appear to have leveled off, but still a third of U.S. adults are obese. The Centers for Disease Control reported Wednesday that after 25 years of climbing obesity rates, there has been no significant increase in the past two years.

The CDC says Americans age 40 to 59 had the highest prevalence of obesity, with about 40 percent of that age group obese.

The government health centers also noted large race and ethnic disparities in obesity among women. More than half of African American and Mexican American women were obese, compared to less than 40 percent of white women.

The CDC notes that because of the "alarmingly high" rates of obesity in all population groups, it has made obesity prevention one of its top public health priorities.

The Cleveland Clinic writes that "Excessive weight gain is often a symptom of an underlying emotional dysfunction. Depression, boredom, loneliness, chronic anger, anxiety, frustration, stress, unsatisfactory interpersonal relationships, and poor self-esteem can result in excessive eating and subsequently unwanted weight gain.

"Many of us learn that food can bring comfort, at least short term. As a result, we often turn to food to heal feelings of emotional stress. Eating becomes a HABIT and we fail to learn skills that will effectively resolve our emotional distress. By identifying what TRIGGERS our eating, we can substitute more appropriate techniques to manage our difficulties and take food and weight gain out of the equation."

While obesity rates have plateaued, the people who are overweight and obese still put on more pounds and gain more weight.