Mississippi tops the 2009 list of most obese states obesity in the US. With 32.5% of people classified as obese, it will be Mississippi’s fifth year in a row to claim the title according to two surveys including the Trust for America’s Health.  Children too are not exempt from the growing epidemic. For youngsters aged 10-17, the fat stats skyrocket at 44% classified as either being overweight or obese.  Weight problems are diagnosed using Body Mass Index which is basically a ratio of height to weight. A BMI of over 25 is considered overweight while 30 is classified as obese.  Health officials say this is “old data rehashed” but admit people understand the concepts to healthy living such as exercising more and cutting calories – they simply can’t keep up with it.

In my opinion, there are two pivoting points in history that contributed to this obesity problem that is otherwise unheard of in the trails of time: the Industrial Revolution and the automobile assembly line. The key for any good to hit mainstream is to be able to produce a whole lot of it. Mass production leads to lower costs, and more goods are available to more people.  Of course, saturated fats, sugars, and corn syrup products along with interstate highways are not a kind combination for those arteries.