The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently released a report showing that the average American woman has become heavier over the past four decades, almost as heavy as the average men back in the 1960s.
The average weight of women these days is now 166.2 pounds, exactly the weight of an average man during the 1960s. Women have gained almost 30 pounds or 18.5 percent more between 1960 and 2010. A similar trend is also observed among men who now weigh 195.5 pounds, about 18 percent more, according to the Washington Post.
The researchers linked the weight gain to the increased height of both genders. Since the '60s, people have become an inch taller, which means additional pounds. Even so, it is not a secret that poor eating and lifestyle habits are also contributors.
In 2012, the Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation released a projection that half the adults in the U.S. would be obese by 2030 if they don't change their eating and exercising habits. And since obesity is linked to numerous diseases, health experts are expecting more new cases of diabetes, chronic heart disease and stroke, which could add $66 billion to current medical costs. By 2030, the U.S. healthcare spending could reach $2.7 trillion.
To date, the United States owns the second spot on the list of the heaviest countries in the world, with one-third of the population being obese or overweight. Mexico holds the top spot.
