The Buckingham

Photo Credit: www.steadyhealth.com

On Monday and Tuesday, two different reports on obesity rates in the U.S. were released at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Weight of the Nation conference in Washington D.C.

According to the study, 42% of Americans could be obese by the year 2030, and nearly 11% would be severely obese. Currently, about 34% of adults are obese, while 6% are severely obese.

The Institute of Medicine (IOM), which conducted the study and released the reports, concluded that obesity is a result of an individual’s environment, rather than a person’s lack of will power.

In order to stop the epidemic, the IOM issued a list of recommendations, which included taxing beverages with high sugar content, such as sodas. The IOM also said that action needs to be taken across all levels of society.