WASHINGTON — The obesity epidemic may be slowing, but don't take in those pants yet.
Today, just over a third of U.S. adults are obese. By 2030, 42 percent will be, says a forecast released Monday.
That's not nearly as many as experts had predicted before the once-rapid rises in obesity rates began leveling off. But the new forecast suggests even small continuing increases will add up.
“We still have a very serious problem,” said obesity specialist Dr. William Dietz of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Worse, the already obese are getting fatter. Severe obesity will double by 2030, when 11 percent of adults will be nearly 100 pounds overweight, or more, concluded the research led by Duke University.
