Percentage of overweight adults doubled in the past 10 years

According to data recently released by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the percentage of adults in the U.S. who are obese approximately doubled from 1990 to 2001, the latest year for which data is available.

In 1990, 11 percent of adults were obese; in 2001, 21 percent were obese. An additional 37 percent were overweight.

Obesity is defined by the CDC as having a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30 or above. Overweight people are those with a BMI of 25 or above.

According to a story in the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, "Being overweight or obese sharply increases the risk for a range of ills, including cancer, heart disease and diabetes."

A CDC official said, "There are many things that come into play but you cannot see this kind of shift due to genetics or any other reason. It all boils down to diet and physical activity."

St. Louis recently came out 5th fattest city in the U.S. in a study by Men's Fitness magazine. However, the Men's Fitness ranking system included community factors such as trails and recreation facilities, as well as the weight of citizens. The CDC's Top Five Fattest Cities list, which counts only BMI of citizens, did not include any Missouri cities.