US Obesity Rate Reaches Record High — the Stats May Shock You

The latest numbers show obesity is only getting worse in the US. According to a new report published in the Journal of American Medicine (JAMA), it's hit an all-time high: more US adults are obese in this country than those who are overweight. Adding to this eye-opening statistic is that the majority of all US adults are either obese or overweight: two-thirds of adult women and three-quarters of adult men, to be exact.

To determine these numbers, researchers from the Washington University School of Medicine looked at data gathered between 2007 and 2012 from an ongoing study performed by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, which involved 15,000 men and women over the age of 25. Based on these findings, researchers estimate that 36 million men and 29 million women are overweight, while 32 million men and 36 million women are obese.

Being obese or overweight is linked to multiple health risks, which include susceptibility to certain cancers, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes. "We see this as a wake-up call to implement policies and practices designed to combat obesity," study author Lin Yang told CBS News.