Obesity Rates Soar in America

Obesity has reached staggering proportions in America, home to the most obese people in the world. The obesity rate of adult Americans has increased in 28 states over the past year, with Blacks and Latinos most at risk, according a new report released by the Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

The report also found that over 67 percent of states have obesity rates above 25 percent, and that the number of states where adult obesity rates exceed 30 percent has doubled in the past year.

The report also noted a link between lower income groups and higher obesity rates, but this should come as no surprise. Poorer people have less money to spend and therefore buy the cheapest food available. Unfortunately, this cheap food is also the unhealthiest. It is mainly processed food, and full of chemical additives such as high fructose corn syrup.

But soaring obesity rates do not stop with American adults.

In another recently-released report, one statistic really stuck out: that of extremely obese males aged 6 to 19. For this group, obesity has increased from 9% in 1999-2000 to 15% in 2009-2010 - an alarmimng increase of 67% in ten short years!

Childhood obesity has become an epidemic in America, so much so that the First Lady, Michelle Obama, has launched a very ambitious plan to end childhood obesity in a single generation. She needs to be applauded for taking on this herculean task.

"We want to eliminate this problem of childhood obesity in a generation. We want to get that done," said the first lady when she spoke with Robin Roberts of Good Morning America. "We want our kids to face a different and more optimistic future in terms of their lifespan."

The nationwide campaign started by Mrs. Obama is called "Let's Move," and it's built on four key pillars: Getting parents more informed about nutrition and exercise, improving the quality of food in schools, making healthy foods more affordable and accessible for families, and focusing more on physical education.

The initiative started by the First Lady is impressive, but sadly there is no mystery behind this obesity epidemic, and the other epidemic that it has spawned - that of diabetes. These twin epidemics are directly attributable to the standard American diet: fast-food, sodas, canned goods, microwave dinners - most of which are chemically altered - combined with the lack of exercise. This is a recipe for disaster. And Americans have chosen to literally eat themselves to death.

The real cause of the twin epidemics of obesity and diabetes in America is high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), a man-made chemical added to just about every processed food. This poison interferes with your hormones (this is the way your body communicates at a cellular level) and prevents your brain from telling you that you are full and need to stop eating.

If you consider that of all the money spent on food in America, ninety percent (yes, 90%!) is spent on processed food, devoid of any fiber or nutrition and chock full of HFCS.

Educating parents is part of the obesity solution, but banning HFCS will win the war against obesity and diabetes. It will kill two birds with one stone.